Ouran Highschool Hostesses
by NightshadeDawn
Summary: Emily's made a bet, Penny is too shy to admit her feelings, Sam is scared out of her mind of guys, Coco hates being short, Mickey's a dude, and Lizz and Becca can't be separated. After a team of teen spies from America are sent as transfer students to Ouran Academy, with crazy bets, stupid dares, and a few love lorn hearts, Ouran Academy is getting spun of control.
1. New School

"Time to get up, lazy bones! It's time for school!"  
"Uhhh, why does it have to be so EARLY?"  
"We had to get up earlier back home."  
"Morning everyone!"  
"Where's my hot chocolate?"  
"Calm down, Coco, it's right here."  
"Thanks Sam."  
"Lizz, you're not even dressed yet!"  
"So?"  
Hey, sorry about that. I'm Emily Meyers, and me and my friends are new to the school Ouran Acadamy. We're transfer students from America for the year.  
Lizz huffed. "Of course I'm dressed," she said, gesturing to her outfit. "I'm not running around naked."  
"I hope not," Micky told her. "The only person I ever want to see naked it Emily."  
"Shut it, Micky," I told my boyfriend. The I turned back to Lizz and Becca. You would NEVER find those two apart. Even though they're not twins, they act like it. I've never seen them more than three inches apart. "You HAVE to wear the uniform," I explained. "I don't really want to have to deal with calls from the school because we're not wearing the uniform during school hours."  
"So you mean-" Becca began.  
"-we can change-" Lizz continued.  
"-after the final bell?" the said together. I nodded.  
"Do I look like I want to wear this hideous dress all day?" I asked. "Besides, with our job after school, it's not appropriate." The girls nodded. I turned to Penny. "You get it all set up for us?" I asked.  
Penny shook her head sadly. "Sorry, Emily," she said. "But since I haven't had a chance before today to go into the school, I don't know any empty rooms we could use." I nodded at her.  
"That's okay," I told her. "We can just look after school. It's no biggy."  
Penny gave a sigh of relief. Suddenly, some hot chocolate was flying past me. I turned to Coco. "It's time to go," she said. "We'll be late if we don't."  
I nodded and swung my book bag over my shoulders. Lizz and Becca came into the room holding hands and doing the same. I hadn't even noticed they had left. But I was relived to see that Lizz was wearing the embarrassing yellow dress.  
"Let's go," I said. Penny grabbed my arm and pointed to the counter where my glasses sat.  
"Glasses," she said. I nodded and grabbed them, pushing them up my nose. Then I followed the others out.  
We rode in a limo provided for us to the school.  
"I'm envious," I told Micky. "You get to wear something not as embarrassing as us."  
"When with the rich, one must act as the rich does," Micky told me, gently kissing my knuckles. I rolled my eyes at him.  
"Yeah, I guess," I told him, pulling my high ponytail out of my hair and instead putting it back into a low one. "Sticking out might not be the best way to go."  
We arrived at the school and I practically had to drag Penny in. She's not really one for being around people she doesn't know. And this school was FILLED with exactly those kind of people.  
"See you later, guys," I told them as we walked into our separate ways. I was the only one to not have someone else I knew in my class. Coco and Sam, Lizz and Becca, Micky and Penny.  
But I was okay.  
The day drew on and on. Boring as hell. And I got chosen to be a student because of my intelligence!  
When the final bell rang, I slung my bag over my should and began to speed out of the room. On my way, I bumped into someone.  
"Sorry!" I called, only turning my head a bit. Then I ran to the bathroom me and the others declared we'd meet at to change. The others were already there. "I'm here!"  
"Come on," Coco whined. "I'm tired of this dress already." I nodded and we walked in. I locked the door behind us, even though Micky was out there to stand guard.  
Then we began stripping, just throwing the dresses to the ground. When I finished, I pulled my hair back up into it's high ponytail and began applying my makeup. Blue eye shadow, light pink lip gloss, just a tinge of blush.  
Penny was the only one who didn't put on any make up. She just sat on the sink, her short coppery hair falling into her face. I walked over to her.  
"Need help with your hair?" I asked her quietly. She nodded. Penny turned so I could braid her hair so it wasn't in her face.  
Sam looked up from applying her black lipstick. "How long do you think it's gonna take, Emily?" she asked. I shrugged.  
"Shouldn't be more than six months," I told her. "But I could be wrong. We don't even know what she looks like, so it'll be a little bit harder."  
Sam nodded. Then Coco put her makeup case back in her bag and dragged Sam out of the bathroom, Sam placing her cap on her head.  
I finished Penny's hair just as Lizz and Becca left the room. Penny turned back around and smiled at me.  
"Thanks Emily," she said. I smiled at her in return. She jumped down from the sink and pulled her dress into her bag before slipping her bag over her shoulder. "I should probably start looking for a new room too." I waved at her a little as she left.  
I picked up my own dress and stuffed it into my own bag. Then I stuffed my glasses into a pocket as I left. I was again the last to leave.  
At lunch we had all decided where we'd look, and I was in the music section. From gathered information, one of the music rooms was unused.  
I was so focused on my thoughts, I bumped into someone in the halls. "Umph!" I exclaimed as I was knocked off balance. I began falling over, but I turned into it and spun out. When I finished, I was a few feet away from the person I bumped into.  
She rolled her eyes. "People just keep bumping into me," she muttered.  
"Sorry," I told her. "I wasn't paying attention. I'm Emily, a transfer student this year."  
"Haruhi," she replied.  
I stuck my hands in my pockets. "So, Haruhi, what are you doing here?" I asked. "I thought everyone already left. You're the only person I've seen since school got out."  
Haruhi shrugged and pulled on her sweater sleeves. "Just looking for somewhere to study," she said.  
I raised an eyebrow. "Doesn't this place have like, three libraries?" I asked. She nodded.  
"But you wouldn't believe how loud they are," she said. "So what are you doing here?"  
"Hmm," I replied. "I'm looking for a room where me and some of my friends, aka fellow transfer students, can meet in peace. I heard that one of the music rooms wasn't in use, so for now I'm guessing that'll satisfy both our needs."  
Haruhi nodded. "Need help looking?" she asked. I nodded and smiled.  
"That'd be nice," I said. We looked in all the different rooms on the floor. Then we both ended up a music room #3. "This has got to be it," I told her. I opened the door and was met with the sickening smell of perfume and a face full of roses.  
I coughed and choked. As I tried to grab the door to support myself, I fell into the room. I blinked my teary eyes and looked up to see a bunch of boys. Hot? Yes. Most likely rich? Yes, almost everyone here was. Snobby air around most of them? Who are we kidding? Definitely.  
"Welcome," we were greeted by them all at once.  
"Host club," I muttered under my breath as I got my feet. I folded my arms casually. This was NOT what I was expecting. But of course, with my line of work, I needed to expect the unexpected.  
"This is a host club?" Haruhi asked, backing up against the now closed door. When did that close again? I nodded at her.  
"Oh look, it's a boy," said one of the host club members. I raised an eyebrow.  
WHO were they talking about? Then I looked at Haruhi. Ah, of course. Her appearance, with those glasses hiding her eyes, the baggy sweatshirt, and hair short cropped, anyone would think she'd a guy. Well, not me, I never miss a detail. Like the fact that her chin is more pointed than a man's, her frame is small (even for a girl's I might add), and only girls have that kind of point to the side of their eyes.  
"I believe this young man is in your class, isn't he?" one boy asked the pair of orange haired twins.  
They nodded in unison. "Yeah, but he's shy, so we don't know much about him," they told the other boy. The first smirked.  
"Well, mister honor student, welcome," he said. The blonde sitting in the chair jumped to his feet.  
"What?!" he exclaimed, eyeing Haruhi. "You must be Haruhi Fujioka, the honor student we've heard about!" She struggled with the door, trying to get out, but stopped when the blonde said her name.  
"How do you know my name?" she asked. I walked over to the door, rolling my eyes as I calmly opened it.  
"Your infamous," said the first one. "It's not everyday a commoner gains entrance to our academy."  
"I don't understand why anyone would," I grumbled.  
I turned around to see the boys harassing Haruhi. I went over to the blonde holding her and smacked him away. "Eh hem!" I exclaimed. That got their attention on me. "Me and, eh he, BOYfriend here, need to be going. Because obviously, this place is in use."  
I took Haruhi's hand and began dragging her out of the room. Then I was turned around by one of the hosts.  
"So does that mean you are a commoner as well?" the blonde asked, getting in my face. I leaned back.  
"If you mean the lower class in America, yes," I told him. I pushed him away from me. "I'm one of the transfer students for this year. Now excuse us, but we REALLY should be going."  
I looked around for Haruhi and saw her being backed up into a stand with a glass vase on it.  
She bumped into the stand and the vase began falling. "Haruhi, the vase!" I exclaimed.  
She turned and tried to catch it, but just barely missed. The world seemed to slow as the vase fell to the floor and shattered.  
I face palmed. "Worst. Moment. Of. My. Life," I said.  
Everyone looked horrified. Well, I mean, no wonder. That thing was almost priceless.  
"This means I'll have to pay you back," Haruhi said. She sounded broken.  
"With what money?" the twins asked. "You can't even pay for a school uniform."  
"What should we do, Tamaki?" asked the boy from earlier.  
"You'll have to work off your dept," said the blonde who had harassed both me and Haruhi. Tamaki. What a lame name. But I guess it's normal for Japan. "From now on, you're the host's dog!"  
"I feel for you, Haruhi," I said, a groan trying to escape. I dragged Haruhi out of the room before she could faint. "Come on, girl, don't do this to me," I muttered. I set her down on a cushioned bench and she calmed down, coming back to her senses.  
"So you know?" she asked. "But back there you said-"  
"I know what I said," I replied. "But you didn't seem inclined to let them know that you're a girl, so I didn't butt in. But I'm afraid that after now, I'll probably not speak to you again."  
"Why?" Haruhi asked. I looked away. Then my phone vibrated in my pocket and I took it out. It was a text from Penny saying that she found the perfect room.  
"I got my girls, and my actual boyfriend," I explained, texting Penny back. "So I don't associate with Host Clubs. Not to mention that I'm not fond of rich snobs, so when you're done paying it off, maybe we'll talk." I flipped my phone off and stuck it in my bag. "See ya, Fujioka," I told her.  
I dashed off and down the stairs. Penny's room was somewhere in the language art's department. Well, it would work.

_  
Penny: Oh, he's the perfect person to do my next portrait on!  
Coco: But he's a host!  
Penny: What's so bad about that?  
Becca: You don't know-  
Lizz: What Emily did?  
Penny: Oh, Emily, you didn't, did you?  
Emily: Not a single one of them is sane or mature, and they deserve to know what it's like to have their hearts broken!  
Penny: But it's just not nice.  
All: Next time, Meet The Hostesses!


	2. Meet The Hostesses

SIX MONTHS LATER  
Penny's POV

So Emily had been wrong, which was rare. She normally was never wrong. But we were still at Ouran Academy and it had been six months.  
I walked out of my last class, art, and to the room we used. We had set up a room behind the stage for us to change in. I got out of my yellow dress and into my red plaid skirt, white button up shirt, and I tied my black bow around my neck.  
Without anyone else around to do my hair any differently, I pulled it into pigtails.  
Oh, how I wished that I had long hair like Emily. Or even Coco. But my copper colored hair refused to grow.  
"Copper, just like a pretty penny," I muttered, staring into the mirror. That's what Emily always told me when she did my hair. She said it was much prettier than her natural pink hair, but I disagreed.  
"Hello?" called Lizz.  
"Anyone here?" shouted Becca.  
"B-Back here!" I called. The two came in wearing their similar yellow dresses and holding hands.  
"Hi Penny!" the greeted together.  
"Hey guys," I said. I pushed a stray piece of hair behind my ear and walked out of the back room and over to my space. We had set this part up for just me. It had an easel, and lots and lost of paint and brushes for me to use.  
I pushed my glasses up as I began to paint. The others would arrive soon, then soon after that the regulars. Then those who had never been before.  
Emily, Micky, Coco, and Sam came in as one. They all dress in their regulars and went about to their positions. Micky by the games, Coco and Emily behind the bar, and Sam in a corner with her drink. Then Lizz and Becca came out and went over to the couch where they normal sat.  
Lizz wore a ruffled red shirt that barely covered her bra and exposed most of her stomach, along with a short teal skirt and black sandal high heals. Becca herself wore some medium blue skinny jeans, a long sleeve pink shirt, and boots.  
"Hi guys!" I told them cheerily. They all said hi to me as well, then the guests began flowing in.  
Emily flipped a switch and the bright lights changed to a dim and hypnotizing red and purple.  
The seats surrounding me filled up as boys came to watch me paint. And have me paint them, of course.  
I put the portrait I had been working on away and began a new one.  
Then suddenly, there was a new boy in the group surrounding me. In the dim light, I couldn't see his eyes, but I could feel them on me. He was tall, with dark hair. And glasses. It should have been criminal how good he looked in his glasses.  
I blushed and looked away from him. Someone as attractive as this boy near me couldn't possibly seriously want anything to do with someone like me, right?  
I bit my lip as I decided something. I wanted to, really bad. And I'd done it before. This wouldn't be any different, right?  
I slowly got off my stool and made my way over to him. "U-U-Um, h-h-hi," I stuttered. I blushed heavily, and hoped he didn't see it in this light. "I was, um. I was wondering if you'd, uh, um, like to be the model for my next picture?" I quickly looked down to hide my blush.  
"Of course," they boy said. "I've heard that you're a talented artist, and I'm honored you chose me."  
I blushed even more as I led him over to where I wanted him to sit. I set up my easel with all the paint and brushes I needed. Then I got to work, zoning into my own world. I alternated between looking at the nameless, handsome boy and the easel. I made sure to get every feature perfect. But even if I did, I still probably wouldn't do him justice.  
"What the hell do you think you're doing here?" Hearing Emily's voice snapped me out of my painting trance and I snapped my head where her voice had come from.  
I put my brush down by the unfinished piece of art. Then I got up and walked toward Emily's voice. She was outside the bar and glaring at a boy with blonde hair with her hands on her hips.  
"I thought we had an agreement that we didn't mess with the Host Club, you don't mess with The Hostesses," Emily said through her gritted teeth.  
"I don't remember ever saying that," the blonde said.  
"That's why it's called a silent agreement, Tamaki," Emily said. "Now, answer my question. Why. Are. You. Here?" With every word, she got closer to him and got in his face. He was now backed up against the bar.  
"I was led to believe that anyone was welcome here," said the boy standing next to me. It was the boy I was painting. Emily turned on him and glared.  
"Not the Host Club," she said. "You're all disgraceful to the human race."  
"Hey can I get a number three?" a boy asked.  
Coco picked up a bottle from the counter behind her and a glass from under the bar. She filled the glass to almost full and slid it down the bard expertly into the boy's hands. She fixed her fingerless gloves as she jumped up onto the bar and over to the other side to stand by Emily.  
"You really think so?" the blonde asked. Tamaki, right?  
Emily folded her arms. "I know so," she seethed. "You play with girls' hearts without even blinking an eye. Do you know how many broken hearts you leave behind when you do this?"  
Tamaki huffed. "We just entertain our guests," he said. "It's not our fault if they fall hopelessly in love with us." The smack Emily gave Tamaki resounded throughout the room.  
"It's just a game to you," she said. "My point exactly. How do you think YOU would feel to have your heart played with?"  
Tamaki growled. "Oh yeah?" he asked. "Well, it's better than being loveless your whole life.. None of you could make someone fall in love with you even if your lives depended on it."  
Emily had to literally bite her tongue to stop herself from saying something stupid. But then she did anyway. "Wanna bet?" she asked. She got in Tamaki's face once again.  
I noticed that somehow all of Emily's girls and Micky had come to stand by her and all of the Host Club members had come to stand behind Tamaki.  
"I'm gonna bet that my girls can make your guys fall for them," Emily said. "I'm more than willing to prove it."  
Tamaki huffed. "Yeah, right," he said. "Like that would happen."  
Emily raised an eyebrow. "Oh?" she asked. "Chicken to find out?" Tamaki looked august that the pinkette would even suggest something like that.  
"Never," he said. "I'm willing to take you up on that bet."  
Emily smirked. "Then let's make this a little game," she said. "Three months. We win by the girls getting the boy to fall."  
Tamaki smirked as well. "We win by not doing so," he said.  
"Winner at the end of the three months gets the loser to work for them til the end of the year," Emily said. She held out her hand. "Deal?"  
Tamaki stuck his hand in hers. "Deal," he answered.  
"I'm not normally into my deals with the devil, but I think I can make an excuse this time," Emily said. Then they let go of each other's hands. Tamaki turned on his heals.  
"Men, let's go," he said.  
Most began following him. "Haruhi?" Emily asked. A boy with brown hair and similar brown eyes turned back to her. "I thought you were better than this," Emily told him.  
I broke away from the rest of the Hostesses and walked over to the boy who I'd been painting. I tapped his arm nervously and he turned back to me. I looked up so I could look into his eyes.  
"I-I haven't finished your picture," I said. "B-B-But if you d-d-don't w-want to c-come in tomorrow, I-I can j-j-just forget a-a-about i-it."  
The boy smiled slightly. "I'll be back," he said. I nodded and blushed just slightly as he left.  
I wouldn't mind if I could get him to like me.

Lizz: I quite like that we get to seduce hot boys.  
Becca: But it's not like Emily's actually going to allow us to date them.  
Lizz: True.  
Coco: I don't want to! Just cause I'm short, I'm getting stuck with Honey, and he's such a child!  
Lizz +Becca: Uh, sounds like someone we know. And that's NOT the reason.  
Penny: Why do I have a feeling you guys already know what you're going to do?  
Lizz + Becca: Of course we do! We're brilliant.  
Sam: You two aren't even the smartest ones here, so chill.  
Lizz +Becca: Ooo, so cold!  
Emily + Mickey: Next time, Discussing The Bet!


	3. Discussing the Bet

Lizz's POV

We walked into the manor, almost everyone squabbling. Or more really, everyone getting on Emily's case.  
Emily turned to me and Becca as we sat down on the couch in the living room. I swung my legs onto Becca's lap and we just stared at Emily.  
"Do either of you have anything to say about this?" she asked with her hands on her hips. We shook our heads.  
"Why would we-" I asked.  
"-when we have the chance-" Becca said.  
"-to date hot guys?" we finished.  
Emily nodded as if she expected the answer. "Everyone, gather round," she instructed. Everyone else took seats in nearby chairs or in front of the couch me and Becca took up. Emily sat on the coffee table cross legged. "Now, if you DO decide to follow through with the bet, and I suggest you do, there are just enough of them for all of you."  
"So-" Becca began.  
"-names?" I suggested.  
"Okay, so the blonde leader is Tamaki Suoh," Emily explained. "He refers to himself as the 'prince' type. Then there's the vice president of the club, Kyoya Ootori. He's the 'cool' type. Then the twins, Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin. The little devils type who have a thing for twinest." Penny shivered. She was quite innocent and old fashioned. "Mitsukuni Haninozuka is the one who looks like a child. Around school you'll most likely know him as Honey. Takashi Morinozuka, normally known as Mori, is always there with Honey. You want to try and woo him, and you'll also be stuck around Honey. The last on the list is the newest member. Haruhi Fujioka."  
"Tapioca?" Becca asked with a giggle. Emily rolled her eyes at her.  
"No, Fujioka," Emily said. "It's completely different."  
"Not really," I told her, also giggling. Emily glared.  
"Anyway," she said, still glaring. "Haruhi has been labeled the natural type. But he's also off limits."  
"Why?" me and Becca asked as one.  
"Because HE is actually SHE," Emily said, standing. "You can figure out who you want to woo on your own, but Tamaki is also off limits."  
"Why is he?" Coco asked.  
Emily raised an eyebrow at her. "Would any of you really chose him?" she asked. There was a chorus of 'No's flung at her and Emily smirked. "Thought not. Now, I have a ton of homework to get done. You girls figure out who you might woo on your own."  
"We claim the twins!" me and Becca screamed as soon as Emily left the large room with Micky.  
"Of course you would," Coco said. Then she turned her attention to Penny. "Who do you want?"  
Penny bit her lip. "I-I-I kinda thought that Kyoya was k-k-kinda cute," she whispered. Coco nodded then looked over at Sam.  
"That leaves only Honey and Mori," she said. "Sam?"  
Sam shrugged and pulled her cap down lower to cover her blue eyes. "I don't know," she muttered. "I don't really want to do this. I'd just rather stay out of it. But if I had to chose, not Honey."  
Coco sighed. "So that means you get Mori and I'm stuck with Honey," she muttered grumpily.  
"You have chosen another, you know," I told her.  
"Instead of waiting for the leftovers," Becca said. Coco waved us off.  
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," she said. She got to her feet. "I've got homework. Come on, Sam." Sam got to her feet and followed the smaller girl.  
"Can I paint you?" Penny asked in a timid voice. We nodded and got into another, more comfortable position since we'd be there for a while.

Kaoru Pov

We sat in a circle around the boss, listening to what he told us.  
"Listen men," Tamaki said. "You'll have to resist them in anyway possible. Do not fall for them, no matter the cost."  
We all nodded at him.  
"Good," he said. He turned to me and my brother. "If my calculations are correct, the two girls who call themselves Lizz and Becca will go after you two. Now, don't fall for any of their charms. I've heard that they do things similar to you two."  
We snorted. "Then that makes it so much easier," we said. Tamaki nodded at us.  
"Good. Then, Mori, Honey," he said. "My research says that the girls who call themselves Sam and Coco are around each other quiet a bit. I believe Coco will go after Honey-senipi, leaving Sam to go for Mori. And Kyoya." Tamaki turned to the dark haired boy. "I believe that the copper haired girl has already tried to go after you."  
"Indeed," Kyoya said. "I recall that her name is Penny."  
"Fitting," Tamaki said. "RESIST. All of you. No one fall for one of those damned Hostesses."  
"Yes sir!" we called.

Lizz's POV

That night, we got into our matching pajamas and climbed into our shared bed, our leg intertwining instinctively.  
"Night Lizz," Becca mumbled sleepily.  
"Night Becca," I replied with the same tired voice.  
I didn't know about Becca, but my dreams were plagued by dreams of the past.

 _"Hurry, Lissanna!" Rebecca called. She didn't let go of my hand, but I was slowing her down._  
 _I tripped and fell on my knees. Becca looked back at me. "You have to go on without me," I said, releasing my grip on her own hand._  
 _Becca just tightened hers. "NO!" she exclaimed. "I refuse to leave you behind, Lizz. We're together forever." She pulled my to my feet and we began running once again._  
 _Running. Always running from something. Running from fire, from police who wanted to separate us, running from bad people in the night, running for our lives all the time. We were never safe. And that's why we never let go._  
 _We were going to be together till the end because no matter what, we never let go._  
 _No matter what life threw at us._

The next morning, I woke up in a cold sweat and looked over at Becca. She nodded. We both had dreamed the same thing. It wasn't the first time either. We had a twin bond stronger than some twins at times. Even if we were so different.  
We took our towels and headed to the shower to wash off the sweat. We showered and walked out in our towels to our room. Then we dressed in our uniforms and helped with the other's hair.  
Becca expertly curled my hair in big ringlets and I french braided her hair.  
"So, what's our strategy?" Becca asked when I finished. I sat down on the bed while she turned to me in her chair.  
"I was thinking we make them come to us," I said with a miscivious smile. "I mean, they were there when Tamaki and Emily made the bet. So I'm going to assume that they'll know who will most likely go after them."  
Becca's face lit up. "And they'll have to come to us to figure out why we don't try to woo them," she said. "And from what I know of them, they're determined. Which means they won't stop until they figure it out."  
I nodded. We high fived then intertwined out fingers. "Sounds like a plan," we said in unison.

Lizz: Coco!  
Coco: What?  
Becca: You're more devious than we thought.  
Coco: What the HELL do you mean by that?  
Lizz: Oh, it was just a coincidence that we ran out of chocolate-  
Becca: And you just HAPPENED to bring money with you to school so you could go shopping-  
Lizz: But you forgot your ID in your pants, making you have to be rescued-  
Becca: By no less Honey and Mori, seeing as they were there.  
Both: It was just a coincidence. Or WAS it?  
Coco: You two are a couple of idiots!  
Both: (tauntingly) Coco's got a crush, Coco's got a crush, Coco's got a crush!  
Coco: Shut up!  
Sam: Next time, Just a Touch of Honey.  
Lizz + Becca: See you then!  
Coco: Ugh!


	4. Just a Touch of Honey

Coco's POV

I woke up grumpy the morning after Emily made the bet and it was decided I had to make this 'Honey' person fall for me.  
From what I knew of the kid, he was just that. While he may have been seventeen, he acted and looked like a child. He even carried around a stuffed rabbit! How pathetic was that?  
Then I looked at my bed where my green, stuffed turtle laying on my bed.  
Titania had always helped me sleep better at night when I woke up from nightmares.  
Which had been last night.  
I turned back to my vanity and touched my right ear. Or at least, where it should be. It'd been cut off when I was little. And that's what my nightmare had been about the night before.  
"Coco, come on!" Emily called. "Breakfast is ready, and if you don't come eat, you won't be able to before school!"  
I sighed and walked out of the room with my hideous yellow dress on. I wore my black boots on under it.  
"Where's my hot chocolate?" I grumbled.  
Penny gave me a pitying smile. "Sorry, Coco," she said. "We have to go to the store. We're all out of hot chocolate."  
I rolled my eyes as I slumped in my seat. Mickey put a cup of instant coffee in front of me. I took a sip. It tasted disgusting, but I drank it anyway. I needed my caffeine.  
"Everyone ready?" Lizz asked, looking out the kitchen window with Becca.  
"Limo's here," Becca said.  
I grabbed my bag from the couch as I walked past and slung it over my shoulder. Sam followed behind me. We sat side by side in the limo. We were close, but not even close to being close like Becca and Lizz.  
For one, no one ever asked if we were lesbian.  
Sam froze as she began to get out of the limo. I turned to her and my glare softened. "Come on, Sam," I said, taking her hand. "You can do this. I'm right by your side all day, remember?"  
Sam nodded and climbed out of the door and followed me into the academy.  
The last thing we needed on our plate right now was dealing with boys and bets, but I assumed Emily knew what she was doing. I just had to hope.  
Me and Sam took our seat by each other in the back of the class. Sam took a book out of her bag as she waited for class to actually start and began to read.  
"Hey, kid, what are you doing here?" asked a taunting boy's voice. I looked up. There was a boy standing there that was at least three times my size. Of course, I looked like a third grader with my height stunted at an early age. "This school is only for high schoolers."  
I growled. "What do you think I am?" I asked, getting up then standing up on my desk so I could look in his eyes. "I may be small, but that by no means means I can't do this." I kneed him where the sun don't shine and he was doubling over in pain as I got back in my seat.  
Nobody could tell I'd ever been out of my seat.  
Then the teacher walked into the room and told the boy to go over to his seat.  
Halfway through the last lesson of the class, I laid my head down on my arms and closed my eyes. I was laying on my ear, so all noise was droned out. I could hear nothing.  
So, I fell asleep.  
I woke up to someone gently shaking my arm. I blinked open my eyes and sat up and stretched.  
"Hi Sam," I told her.  
"School's over," she said with her normal emotionless face. "It's time to get to the club. We're probably going to be the last ones there." I nodded and rubbed my eyes as I stood.  
We ran to the club just as Emily was dimming the lights to prepare for the guests. Me and Sam dashed behind the stage to the changing room. I put on my jean shorts and white tank decorated with silver sparkles. I left my boots alone.  
Sam put on a black skirt over some black leggings, then she finished her look with a black corset and thin black hair band with a small blood red bow. She wore flats that were black, as expected. The only color to her outfit was her hairband and eyes.  
As I walked out and stepped behind the bar, a drink came sliding my way. I caught it and took a big whiff. Hot chocolate.  
Emily smiled at me. "I managed to find some hot chocolate under the counter," she called over the music. "But we still need to get more from the store!"  
I nodded at her before gulping down the hot drink. It didn't even burn my throat anymore when I did that. "Thanks Emily!" I called. I slipped the cup away so it could get washed and began taking orders.  
After we closed the bar, I had Emily take my dress home and took off outside.  
"Hey! Coco!" Penny called from behind me. I turned and stopped, waiting for her to catch up. She smiled giddily when she finally did. "Where ya going?" she asked. "The limo's at the other entrance."  
"This way's closer to the supermarket," I told her. "I'm just gonna walk there and back home. I'll be fine, Penny. I got in the school for an athletic scholarship after all." Penny nodded and smiled. Then she took out a wad of money from her bag.  
"Here," she said. She pushed a piece of hair behind her ear. "So you can get some special kind. My treat."  
"Thanks Penny," I told her. She waved as I walked off. I waved backwardsly.  
I headed to the supermarket and walked through the aisles, looking for the hot chocolate. Finally, I found a good kind, like what I got in America. Then I picked up some marshmallows and a frozen pumpkin pie. All you had to do was heat it up.  
Then I had to pick the register with the lady who didn't believe I was sixteen and old enough to buy food.  
"Look, lady," I snapped. "I'm sixteen, I'm in high school, I go to Ouran Academy for Pete's sake! Just let me pay for my stuff so I can get out of your hair."  
"No," she said in a heavy Russian accent. "Children fourteen and under MUST be accompanied by an adult."  
I groaned. "I AM over fourteen!" I exclaimed, slamming my palms on the board in front of me. "Have you NOT been listening to me for the past five minutes?"  
"She's with us," said a deep voice.  
"Why didn't you say so?" the lady snapped, snatching my money and sticking my stuff in a paper bag. I took the bag and the recieat. Then I pushed the stuff from the bag and put it in my own bag slung around my shoulders and tossed the bag behind my back.  
As soon as I was outside, I turned to who I knew was following. There was a taller boy I knew to go to Ouran. By his side was a small boy around my size. Maybe a twing taller.  
"Thank you," I told them. I pushed some hair behind my left ear. "I really should be going now."  
I turned and began walking off. Footsteps could be heard behind me.  
"You know, it could be considered STALKING," I said without looking back. I stuffed my hands in my pockets as my bag swung by my side.  
The smaller boy came and began skipping next to me. "What's your name?" he asked.  
"Chloe," I answered. He asked my name, not what I was called. "Chloe Keeton. And you are?"  
"Mitsukuni Haninozuka," he answered cheekily. I nodded exaggeratedly.  
"Uh huh," I said. "Sooo, why are you following me, Mitsukuni?"  
"Because you just looked fun to talk to," he replied. We were silent, the odd guy behind us no better. "Why didn't you just bring out your school ID if you're from Ouran?"  
I shrugged and flipped my hair so it wasn't behind my ear any longer and I didn't have to touch it. "I forgot it in the pants I wore yesterday," I told him. "Lemme guess, you go to Ouran too?"  
Mitsukuni nodded. "Yep!" he exclaimed. "Heeeey, maybe we can hang out at school and share some cake!"  
I snorted and rolled my eyes. "Probably not," I said. Suddenly, Mitsukuni turned sad. As if a switch had been flipped. I smirked at him. "I'm more of a pie person," I told him. Suddenly, his face lit up.  
"Yay!" he exclaimed. "What kind of pie?"  
"Hmm," I said thoughtfully. "I like most pies. But pumpkin and lemon merange are my two favorites."  
We began talking about pies, and cakes, then we moved on to all sweet things. He loved to drink tea or milk with his cake, while I was full out hot chocolate for everything.  
I had to eventually leave them because Mitsukuni was getting tired. I mean, we'd walked a couple miles so it would be expected. I was used to it, but evidently he wasn't.  
"See at school, Chloe!" he called, waving as Takashi carried him off.  
"See ya!" I called back. Maybe having a friend outside the Hostesses couldn't be that bad, right? I ran up the steps to the door of the mansion and threw it open. "I'm back!" I exclaimed.  
Suddenly, I was enveloped by six hugs. "We missed you!" chorused most of the people hugging me.  
Sam let go first. "At least now we don't have to deal with Coco's moodiness when she doesn't have her morning chocolate," she said.  
"Not just any chocolate," I said. I pulled out one of the boxes I got and the pie. "Hot chocolate and pumpkin pie!"  
Suddenly, I was tackled to the floor by hugs. "We love you Coco!" everyone exclaimed.  
Nice to know that yes, I am loved.  
"Uh, guys?" I asked, gasped for breath under their weight. I'm only tiny, you know?

Coco: You guys said I was trouble. But look at you! Flirting with each other and dragging those twins behind you.  
Lizz: It's not like we ASKED them to come talk to us.  
Becca: They did that all on their own.  
Emily: At THEY'RE willing not losing.  
Coco: Oh, please! If I wanted him to like me, I could get him to.  
Sam: They're all doing fine. You don't need to worry, Emily.  
Emily: You're right.  
Mickey: Next time, Double Double Trouble.  
Lizz + Becca: Yes we are. And see you then.


	5. Double Double Trouble

ONE WEEK LATER  
Becca's Pov

"Hey, Coco, come eat with us!" me and Lizz called to our blonde haired friend at lunch. Coco shook her head, but she smile.  
"Sorry guys," she said. "But I'm eating with someone else today!"  
"Oooo," we sang, me wiggling my eyebrows. "Somebody's got a crush!"  
Coco laughed. "Maybe," she said. "But probably not."  
She skipped off and me and Lizz sat at our usual table. Today it was just the two of us. Emily and Mickey were eating outside, going on a semi date, which they hadn't had since they'd left America. Penny had a test to work on in one of her classes for now. And Sam- well, nobody knew where Sam was.  
"How's your day been going?" I asked Lizz.  
Lizz smiled and slurped up some of her noodles. "Fine," she said. "I think that we've almost got them hooked."  
I noticed to figures coming toward us behind my friend. I smirked. "No," I told her. "We DO have them. DON'T look now, but they're coming this way right NOW."  
"Hello ladies," the twins said, taking the seats across from us.  
"Hello boys," we answered. "What are you doing here?"  
"We remember quiet distinctively that you were present at the bet," said the one in front of Lizz.  
"And now, we're wondering why you haven't taken action on that bet," said the other.  
"Uh huh," me and Lizz said. Then we looked at each other and smirked.  
"Perhaps we didn't wish to participate in this foolish little bet made by our leader," Lizz said.  
"Or perhaps we are just bidding our time for the right moment," I said.  
"Maybe we are to shy to confront either of you," Lizz suggested.  
"Maybe we haven't chosen you at all," I told them.  
"But either way, it looks like you've already lost," we said together.  
"What do you mean by that?" asked the one in front of I.  
"You've made the first move, boys," we said. We stood and picked up our lunch trays to go turn in.  
"Wait!" said the other. We turned back to them.  
"At least tell us who you did chose," they both said.  
Me and Lizz raised an eyebrow at one another. "Alright," I said, turning back to them.  
"Let's play a game," Lizz said.  
"You win, we tell you," I told them.  
"What kind of game?" they asked.  
"Which one of us is Lizz?" I asked.  
"And which one is Becca?" Lizz said.  
The two looked at us for a few minutes. "How can we tell that?" one asked.  
"When you haven't even introduced yourselves?" asked the other.  
Me and Lizz shrugged. "Fine," we said. "Hello boys, we're Lizz and Becca."  
I could tell they were mentally face palming.  
Then suddenly, one twin got to his feet. "You're Lizz," he said, pointing to me. Then he pointed to Lizz. "And you're Becca."  
We laughed and moved behind them "Don't you just hate-" I whispered in one twin's ear.  
"-being beaten at your own game?" finished Lizz in a whisper to the other. We left the two twins at the table and intertwined our arms. We left our tray at the spot for the lunch ladies to pick up and we walked outside to the gardens.  
"I do believe that was fun," I told Lizz. "Making them squirm."  
Lizz laughed and nodded. Our arms moved from intertwined to our fingers being so. "Yeah," she said. "Though, I do kinda wish we'd gotten their names out of them."  
I nodded. "Yeah, it's kinda hard to talk about them without their names," I said.  
"We could just call them Hitachiin One and Hitachiin Two," Lizz suggested.  
I laughed. "We could," I said, wiping my tears of laughter away. "But then I might be calling the one who in front of me number one, but you might be calling him number two."  
Lizz began giggling uncontrollably. Then it turned into laud laughter.  
I raised an eyebrow at her. "Lizz?" I asked.  
"Number one and number two," she said through her laughter. "Just- Just think about it for a minute."  
I did as instructed and laughed at Lizz. "Lizz!" I exclaimed.  
"Becca!" she exclaimed back.  
"You are so immature!" I told her. We fell onto the grass from our laughter. We ended up rolling and then suddenly, I was leaning above Lizz, my hands on either side of her head while they were holding me up. My head was leaned down towards her and my chestnut hair fell so it was a curtain, separating us from the outside world.  
"Ooo," Lizz said teasingly. "Wanting to be on top for once, Becca? I thought that you rathered I was on top. And in the middle of the school grounds? I didn't take you for that kind of a girl."  
I laughed sarcastically. "Ha ha, Lizz," I said, sitting up and helping her do the same. Our hands became intertwined once again. Lizz leaned over and kissed my cheek.  
"You know you like it," she said in the playfully seductive voice. I rolled my eyes at her.  
"You wish," I said.  
"Have you two always been like that?" asked a voice. I looked behind us and saw the twins heading for us. They walked around us and sat down across from us once again.  
"Have we always been this close?" Lizz asked. "Yes."  
"I can't remember a time where there hasn't been Lizz and Becca," I told them.  
"So even though you're not twin, you've grown up like a pair?" the other asked. We nodded.  
"How about you tell us your names?" we suggested.  
"I'm Hikaru," said the one in front of me.  
"I'm Kaoru," said the one in front of Lizz.  
"So, do either of your names have and special meaning?" I asked.  
"Hikaru means light or radiance," Hikaru explained.  
"Kaoru doesn't have a very special meaning," Kaoru said sulkily. He bowed his head, but then Hikaru took his chin gently and turned Kaoru to face him.  
"Kaoru means fragrance," Hikaru said huskily. "And it fits you perfectly. A beautiful fragrance." Their faces were so close, from a distance they could have been kissing. But me and Lizz weren't fazed. We had done similar things, if not worse.  
I mean, Lizz did a wonder lap dance.  
"Are you two done?" Lizz asked. "Making out, I mean." I wacked her playfully on the arm.  
"Jeez, Lizz," I said. "You'll get your's soon enough."  
But the two boys had broken apart already. They tilted their heads together. "They're not even fazed," Hikaru whispered.  
"I wonder why," Kaoru whispered back. We just smirked and Lizz brought my knuckles to her lips and kissed them one by one.  
"Let's just say-" I began.  
"-we've done worse," Lizz finished.  
I leaned backwards so my head was in Lizz's lap. Then I turned my head so I was looking at the boys. "Lizz does a wonderful lap dance," I said.  
Their jaws dropped.  
"You don't do that," they said.  
"Yes we do," we replied. "Just come to The Hostesses sometime. You'll see."  
"Lizz! Becca! The bell's about to ring!" came Penny's voice. We looked up to see Penny and Sam waiting by the doors to go back inside.  
"Coming!" we called.  
I helped Lizz to her feet after I got up then I turned to the two boys. "I'm sure you can skip the club one day, right?" I said with a wink. Then me and Lizz were running and laughing as we made our way to our friends.  
"I think we'll need a quick outfit change before the club," Lizz said. I nodded and smiled.  
"Hey! Hey, wait!" came Hikaru's and Kaoru's voices. All four of us turned. Hikaru handed me a letter.  
"This is supposed to be passed onto your leader," Hikaru said. "Emily, right?" I nodded and placed the letter in my bag, ready to give to Emily later.

Sam: Eek!  
Coco: Sam, calm down. I'm right here.  
Sam: I- I can't! There's- There's just so many!  
Coco: I know, I know.  
Mickey: He seriously called her Princess? Even I don't do that.  
Emily: Yes, and now she's gone and run off! We have to find her before she hurts herself.  
Penny: Poor Sam!  
Lizz + Becca: He's an idiot.  
Emily: Next time, Sad Anxious Misunderstood.  
All: We'll see you then!


	6. Sad Anxious Misunderstood

Sam's POV

I sat on a stool as Emily read the letter Becca handed her. Everyone was silent in the dressing room.  
"This is just great," Emily said. We all waited expectantly for her to continue. She sighed and folded the letter as she did so. "It's from Tamaki. He wrote saying he wants to add a little something to make this 'game' more interesting. He's daring us to come to the Host Club."  
"Isn't that defeating the purpose for him?" Penny asked, her green eyes wide. Emily nodded.  
"It is," she said. "But we can't get out of it. And the only free day we have is Fridays, which we had to use for investigating."  
"Now our time is even more taken," Coco grumbled. "What'll we do now?"  
"Until we figure something else out, we'll just have to roll with it," Mickey said, folding his arms. Emily nodded, then gasped, her eyes flying wide open.  
"Mickey!" she exclaimed.  
"Yes?" he asked worriedly.  
"You!" Emily said.  
"Me?" Mickey asked. "Me what?"  
Emily quickly tore the letter open again. "It says here that all of the GIRLS of the Hostesses are required to come," she explained quickly. "And we've never hid the fact that you're male, even if everyone thinks you're not. So, technically, you can get out of going. And you can still investigate!"  
"By himself?" Lizz asked.  
"Is that a good idea?" Becca teased.  
"I'll do it," Mickey said. "I got this."  
"While I don't really want to interrupt this all happy go lucky meeting, we DO have a club to run, and it opens in less than five minutes and counting," I said in a board voice. Everyone checked their watches and scurried out of the dressing room.  
I pulled my hat off of the hat rack and my book off of the makeup vanity and left to my usual spot. Emily dimmed the lights just as i reached my spot. I sat down in the chair and thanked God for my night vision.  
Every so often, a guy would come up and make googly eyes at me and I would stiffen. My grip on the book tightened, and I could no longer breath when this happened.  
I couldn't focus on the words anymore when one guy got too close. If I had wanted, I could have reached out and touched him.  
Everything blurred, only panic visible in my mind. It took all of my leftover control to not get up and run.  
I jumped and turned fearfully and sharply when someone touched my shoulder. "It's alright," Coco said in a soft voice I'd only ever heard her use with me. "It's over now. We're getting ready to go home now."  
I nodded shakily, but that's all I could do. I couldn't move. Coco motioned Lizz and Becca over and they helped me to my feet. They draped my arms over their shoulders and helped me to the limo.  
By the time we had got to the mansion, I had recovered. I was fine and could walk out on my own.  
"I'm going to bed," I muttered as I walked into the mansion. I walked up to my room and slammed the door behind me. I let my black book bag drop to the floor and fell onto my bed.  
It was covered with black sheets and a blue comforter not unlike the blue shirt I wore. The pillows were black but covered with stars. I took one of those and hugged it close to my chest as I laid on another.  
I was so tired, but I tried to fight sleep. I didn't want the nightmare to come. Just like every night.  
I didn't even realize I'd gone to sleep until the pillow was take from under my head and smacked me in the face.  
"Come on, lazy bones," came Emily's voice. "It's time to get up. You can sleep in tomorrow. It's Friday."  
I groaned and rolled, not realizing until too late that I was rolling off the bed. Emily laughed as she helped me up. She tossed a dress at me.  
"Hurry up or you'll make us late," she said as she left.  
I pulled the clothes from the day before off and pulled the new dress on. I ran my finger through my hair and deducted that there was no need for a brush this morning.  
I pulled some black skinny jeans, a baggy; ripped; and too large black tee shirt, and my hat into my bag. Then I slipped on some black sneakers.  
"Please refrain from dirtying your dresses today," Emily said when they got in the limo. "Today is mandatory that we go to the Host Club, and we at least need to look presentable. I don't especially want our reputation ruined."  
We all nodded, but I looked out of the window and leaned against it. I didn't pay attention to mot of the conversations after that. I was too busy concentrating on my breathing.  
Being around Mickey, even though I knew he was perfectly okay, made me nervous. It was difficult to say the least.  
The doctors at the agency said that I had androphobia. But they didn't know where I got it. No one would, ever. I couldn't tell them.  
"We're here," Coco said, gently nudging my arm. She dragged me out of the limo and I slung my bag over my shoulder.  
We walked to class in comfortable silence. In class though, that was different. I knew that the boys picked on me because I wasn't lady like. I wore sneakers with my dress, I wore black makeup, and my nails were always painted black.  
But I usually didn't have to worry about it. Coco was always there. She was my savoir. My best friend. My protector.  
Sometimes, I didn't know what I'd do without her.  
The day passed in a blur. I didn't really take notice of the things around me and I let Coco lead me around.  
Then I flicked my eyes toward the open door near the end of the last class. Emily stood off to the side. When the bell rang, she snuck into the classroom and over to me and Coco so she didn't get trample.  
"Hey girls," she said, taking the seat on my other side.  
"Hi Emily," Coco said.  
"Ready to get this over with?" Emily asked. Coco nodded.  
"Yeah, fine," I muttered. I picked up my black bag and walked with Emily and Coco to get the other girls. Lizz and Becca sang random things and spun each other as we walked down the halls to our doom.  
Emily reached for the handle of the door leading to music room #3 but then paused. "I suggest you don't breath as soon as I open the door," she said.  
I held my breath as Emily opened the door. Rose petals flew at us, and my eyes watered. Perfume. That's why she didn't want us to breath. Coco grabbed my hand and looked up at me.  
"It'll be okay," she murmured. "It's a Host Club, meaning very few guys entertaining a lot of girls. And remember, we're all here with you."  
I nodded shakily and stepped into the room. My heart began beating in my chest very quickly, and I became dizzy. "Come on," Emily said, taking me away from Coco to the area surrounded my the most girls. I calmed down a bit, but it still felt awkward.  
"Ah, Emily," said a male voice. She quickly shoved me behind her back so I was farther away from him. The blonde who Emily said was called Tamaki came out of the group of girls to stand before her. "I see you came."  
Emily huffed. "It's not like you gave us a choice," she snapped.  
Tamaki laughed slightly. "I mean, I didn't expect you to come," he said.  
"A good leader leads by example," Emily said, still holding me firmly behind her back. "And your letter distinctly said all girls from The Hostesses were required to come."  
"Touche," Tamaki said, gesturing toward a love seat. Emily sat me down by the arm rest and sat close enough to me to indicate that Tamaki wouldn't be sitting in between us. So, he sat on Emily's other side and wrapped an arm around her shoulder.  
"Remember, Tamaki," she said spitefully. "I have a boyfriend."  
He raised an eyebrow at her. Then he turned his attention to me. My heart beat almost painfully in my chest. "And what about you, beautiful?" he inquired.  
 _Don't freak out. Don't freak out. Don't freak out._  
"Someone of your beauty must surly be special."  
 _Please don't say it, please don't say it, please don't say it._  
"And someone such as you has a special someone, princess."  
He said it.  
I jumped from the love seat, the only thing running through my was pure panic.  
I ran from the room and down the halls. I couldn't tell where I was going.  
 _I have to get away. I have to get away from him!_  
Tears streamed down my face as I ran into an empty classroom and slammed the door behind me. I literally tore the yellow dress off and slid down the door to keep it shut. So no one could get in.  
I held my legs to my chest and buried my face in my knees.  
My heart was beating so wildly, I thought it would beat out of my chest. I felt like puking and running at the same time. Or just fainting.  
Yeah, sleeping sounded good.  
But I couldn't do anything. I just sat there, against the door, shaking.  
All I could do was pray that Coco would find me and help me out of this hell I'd been sent to.

Coco's POV

I looked up from my conversation with Mitsukuni. I hadn't known he'd be at the Host Club, and that just made my day even better. But something felt wrong.  
I looked over to Emily and Sam to see Sam jump from her seat and run out of the room.  
I jumped from my own seat and ran after her. "SAM!" I called in the hall, but she wasn't anywhere to be seen.  
I stormed back into the room and over to Tamaki, which was who she and Emily had been around.  
"What the hell did you say to her?" I growled. He backed away, and for good reason too. Everyone knew about my protectiveness of Sam.  
"What do you mean?" Tamaki asked. "All I asked is if she had someone special."  
Emily was glaring at him. "And he called her princess," she said. "That's when she snapped. Her eyes kinda went wild, and that's when she fled."  
I clenched my fists so hard that my knuckles turned white. "You damned idiot," I said, blonde hair falling in my face. Then I reached up and slapped Tamaki in the face as hard as I could. It sent him falling to the ground from the impact. He gave me a shocked look. "Sam has androphobia! The fear of men! And while we all of trigger words that bring up bad memories, being called princess is hers! And it's worse than any of us! Sam could be anywhere right now. She could be hurt, running away in a blind panic."  
"I beg your pardon, but how were any of us supposed to know?" Kyoya asked. I turned and glared at him.  
"I suppose you're right," I growled sarcastically. "But either way, Sam isn't coming back. Ever. And that's the end of it."  
I dashed from the room, the other Hostesses following me.  
I had to find Sam. Who knew what was happening to her right now? What kind of attack she was having?

Emily: Mickey! Get a location on Sam's homing device, pronto!  
Mickey: Already done, babe.  
Penny: U-Um, d-did you find any cl-clues?  
Mickey: Actually, yes.  
Lizz + Becca: Tel, tell, tell!  
Coco: Next time, Finding a Clue.  
Sam: We MAY see you then. But probably not. At least, I won't.


	7. Finding a Clue

Mickey's POV

I typed away on the computer in the club room at the bar.  
This was seriously Penny's job. She could hack anything. Technically, the copper haired girl could do anything with any electronic. It was amazing, watching her work.  
But no, right now I was the one having to look.  
"Hmm," I said, opening another one of the school's private files. "Eight? There were only seven of us..."  
I flipped through it and found what I was looking for.  
"Kadance Wilson, aged seventeen years, third year at Ouran Academy, transfer student from America on a drama scholarship," I murmured. I printed the page out on her.  
When it finished printing, I walked over to one of the many chairs and reclined while I read it.  
Kadance had an IQ of 150, and that was three years prior. Her family was also supposedly very high up in America. But I'd never heard of her family, so that made me kinda suspicious.  
I read about a bunch of other useless stuff about Kadance. None of it seemed terribly interesting, but I was sure we had our person.  
I got out my phone and texted Emily.  
She texted back instantly. 'That's great. But now we need help to find Sam. Use the locator on the computer.'  
I walked back over to the computer and opened a new app. It showed the layout of the school and little colored dots with the initials of everyone in the team.  
"Sam, Sam, Sam," I said, looking for her dark blue dot. I found it a couple of halls from Penny's pink dot. I clicked on Penny's name so I could text her. 'Sam's in the empty classroom in the siance hall.'  
'Thx, Mick,' she replied.  
A few minutes later, I was packing up my things and heading out to the limo. Everyone else was already there. Sam was the only one not dressed in her uniform.  
"What did you find out?" Emily asked as Coco tried to get Sam to fall asleep.  
"I THINK I know who we're after," I told her. I handed Emily the pages I'd printed and a picture of Kadance. (brunettes%20long%20hair%20gree )  
Emily looked through the files and nodded. "I think you're onto something," she said. She handed me the stuff again. "I think we have our girl."

Penny: I hope he likes the painting!  
Emily: I'm sure he will, honey.  
Penny: I really do. I'm so worried! The picture doesn't NEARLY give the greatest significance it could!  
Emily: Any painting you make is worth while. Do you think you could ask for the piano in that room to be handed over? They never use it, and it would be a great help for Sam.  
Penny: I- I do-don't know if I-I'll be able to Emily. But I can try.  
Emily: Thanks.  
Penny: Next time, Of Portraits and Plans  
Emily: Till then!

A/N: Terribly sorry this is so short. But I don't have a real definition of character for Mickey, and I'm terrible at writing from a guy's POV. So Mickey's not going to get a lot of screen time. Hope you enjoy! Oh, and tell me between the whole Becca and Lizz/ Hikaru and Kauro thing, who should be with who.


	8. Of Portraits and Plans

Penny's POV

I sat at the bar, drinking a coke Emily had given me. I smiled when I saw Lizz giving Becca one of her lap dances in front of the twin boys. And they thought the girls weren't serious.  
"So, how're you doing?" Emily asked. I jumped and bit and turned my attention to her.  
"What do you mean?" I asked.  
"Oh, just your love life," Emily said.  
I blushed deeply and looked into my glass like it was the most interesting thing in the world. "I- I- I haven't talked to Kyoya since I finished his portrait." I looked back up and at Lizz and Becca. "It looks like the twins are hooked, though. Lizz and Becca are on their game."  
Emily shook her head. "Not quite," she said. "Kaoru and Hikaru still have a ways to go before they're in love with Lizz and Becca. The girls aren't even in the circle of acquaintances yet. They're barely in 'cool enough to talk to'. These two have serious problems with excepting anyone into their life."  
I raised an eyebrow at her. It sounded like she knew this on a personal level, and I knew you couldn't just go and find these things on the internet. Not even I could.  
Emily turned the attention away from that topic. "Well, you should," she said. "Talk to Kyoya, I mean. And don't you still have the picture?"  
I nodded. "Y-Yeah," I said, blushing. I looked at it all the time.  
Sam groaned as she took the seat on my left. "All these guys," she said. "It's getting under my skin."  
"Need to take a walk?" Emily asked.  
Sam nodded. "Probably," she said. "I'd feel better if I had something to play though."  
"Don't they have an unused piano in music room #3?" Emily asked. I nodded. I'd seen it when we went in there the week before.  
"Yeah," I said. "They have it and some other instruments behind this curtain."  
"This is perfect then!" Emily exclaimed.  
"What is?" me and Sam asked.  
"Penny, you can go to the Host Club to give Kyoya his picture, and you can ask for the use of the instruments!" Emily explained.  
"Uh, do you have a plan that doesn't include me dying from embarrassment?" I squeaked.  
Emily rolled her eyes and began dragging me to backstage. "It's just a simple conversation," she said, putting the wrapped canvas of the portrait in my hands. "Inquiring about the use of the piano for your friend." Then she began dragging me back to the bar. "And giving him a portrait you painted yourself."  
I bit my lip. "Fine," I said. "I'll go. But only because I want to get Sam that piano." Emily smiled and went back behind the bar to continue her job. Sam walked with me, a glass of soda in her hand.  
We parted ways once we reached the music hall. I reached my hand out to open the door, but then I froze. What if the other girls made fun of me? Because of how I was dressed? I had on a pink skirt that didn't quite reach my knees, a loose white shirt trimmed with the same kind of pink, a yellow ribbon tied around my neck, flat black shoes, knee high white socks, and my hair was tied in pigtails with pink ribbon.  
I shouldn't go in there. I was way too embarrassed. Just thinking about the odd looks I'd get made me blush.  
I quickly to the pencil out of from behind my ear and wrote 'To Kyoya' on the front of the canvas then set it by the door. I knocked on the door and ran around the corner before it opened.  
I watched as the door was opened to reveal Kyoya. He looked around, then looked down when the painting fell on his feet. He picked it up and went back inside.  
I couldn't tell what he was thinking.  
I slid down the wall to the floor, knowing my skirt rode up a bit but didn't care because I was alone in the hall.  
I fiddled with my pencil for a few minutes, trying to decide what to do. I mean, what could I? I'd never have the chance during school to talk to him because we had different classes, and I always seemed to be busy during lunch. The hour right after school we were both busy, and Fridays he didn't even host anyone anyway. And after the club hours, it would be too embarrassing to confront him in front of all those boys.  
Then I got my idea. If he liked the picture, perhaps I could leave him little gifts with messages.  
Good plan, right?  
"I'll do it!" I said. I pushed my glasses up as I got to my feet.  
I walked back to The Hostesses fiddling with my pencil. I hadn't talked to Kyoya about the instruments, so Sam wouldn't be getting them. I felt really bad about that. Letting my fear get in the way of helping a friend.  
I sighed as I sat in the seat I'd had before. My coke was still there.  
"So?" Emily asked. "How'd it go?"  
I slumped over. "I'm a chicken," I muttered. "I couldn't go in there."  
Emily gave me a pitying look. "It's alright," she said. "Me or one of the other girls can talk to someone at the next meeting."  
I looked up at her. "We actually have to go every Friday?" I asked, wincing. Emily nodded and I sighed. "I guess I'm going to have to pick a host to hang out with."  
Emily nodded. "I won't suggest Honey or Tamaki, they've both got personalities that attract girls like flies to honey. And the twins are really your thing," she said thoughtfully. "With the whole twinsest thing. There's always Haruhi. She's nice enough, and didn't have too many girls hanging around her."  
I nodded at her and smiled. "Sounds like a plan," I told her.

Lizz: Has anybody else actually ever wondered what the rest of Sam's name is?  
Penny: N-o, it's always just been Sam.  
Becca: With her musical and dark character, it kinda puts a mysterious feel to her. Only having the one name.  
Coco: I'm really going to hope she doesn't run into a group of guys while she's out. If she does we may have to use the homing device again.  
Mickey: I'm sure she's fine, Coco.  
Coco: I hope you're right.  
Sam: Next time, The Eternal, Radiant Light.  
All: See you then!


	9. The Eternal, Radiant Light

Sam's POV

I sat alone in the room filled with instruments.  
I was at the piano of music room #2 a few hours after school ended. I'd left the manor without telling anyone where I was going, or even that I was leaving.  
I pressed down on a key.  
I smiled slightly at the sound it made and began playing to the sound I heard in my head. It felt like as I played, all my worries, all my fears, were washed away.  
It was like I was free.  
"Na na nana," I sang quietly to my playing. People said it was hard singing and playing the piano at the same time, but I could do it naturally. I continued humming.  
This room didn't need any of the lights on if the windows were open, they let in enough light.  
" _One step at a time_ ," I sang to the new beat I began. "No, that doesn't sound right. Um, how about... _A lady, maybe. Or host, I find I really don't mind_. Yeah. I like that."  
I wrote down the lyrics and pitches I heard in my mind on my sheet music paper and played the rythem. I changed a couple of notes to make it sound better.  
"This totally works," I muttered.  
"I think I heard something this way," said a voice. I jumped and spun on the bench.  
It was a boy's voice.  
I began to panic as I heard more talking and footsteps coming toward the music room.  
I dashed from the seat and hid in a curtained off area in the corner.  
"That's strange, I could have sworn I heard music," said a vaguely familiar voice. "Piano music. And a girl singing."  
I froze and had to fight the rising panic in my stomach.  
"Come on, boss," said two voices as one. "You're losing your touch."  
"Says the two dunder heads who couldn't be bothered to show up today!" yelled the first voice.  
"Geez boss," they said. "We wanted to check something out and it took longer than expected."  
"Fine," said the first voice. "But there WAS someone here. Look."  
There was a rustle of papers and I knew he'd found and picked up my song book.  
"Property of Eternity Light," said a new voice. "I don't believe I've ever heard of this person."  
"Whoever it is, it looks like they're a professional," said another new voice, this one sounded considerably younger.  
"Yeah," said a deep voice.  
There was a creaking and then music sprung from the piano. My music. A song I'd written a few years back.  
'Please just make this torture stop,' I pleaded in my mind.  
Then song ended a few minutes later. "This person, Eternity, must be supremely talented," said the original voice. "I would greatly like to meet this person." Yeah, like that would ever happen. There was a snap. "I want you to run a search through the school's files and find this Eternity Light. Dig as deep as you need to."  
"Yes sir," said another voice.  
I counted six voices. All of them belonging to boys.  
God, was I screwed.  
"Tamaki, this stuff was set out like the owner had just gone out for a few minutes," said the youngest voice. "I don't think that Eternity would be very happy if we were caught with her stuff like this."  
"You're right," said the first voice. "We should go." There was a shuffle of feet and then the door slammed shut.  
I waited a few minutes to make sure they were truly gone before coming out of my hiding spot. When I did, I ran over to my stuff and made sure I had all of it gathered up in my folder. Then I took the little chip hidden in my stuff and threw it to the ground, stepping on it as I walked out of the room.  
I took my phone out of my pocket and flipped it open, dialing a number. I held it to my ear and listened to it ring a couple of times.  
"Coco here," came the voice on the other side. "What's up?"  
"Hey Coco," I said. "It's Sam."  
"Sam!" she exclaimed. "Where are you? We haven't seen you for a few hours."  
"I know, I know," I told her. "I'm at the school. Can you have someone come pick me up? It's about to rain outside, and I don't really fancy getting wet."  
"Alright," she said. "Look for a little green car. Emily will be there shortly. Oh, and have Emily pick me up some more hot chocolate mix. I'm almost out."  
"Alright, ," I said before ending the call and flipping my phone shut.  
I froze as I was about to walk out of the front door.  
Did that little kid say- Tamaki?  
Once back at the manor, I stormed into the dining room to find Penny.  
I slammed my palms down on the table in front of her and leaned over it so we were very close. "Are all the files at the school for under under Sam?" I asked.  
"W-?" she began in question, but I cut her off.  
"Are they or aren't they?" I snapped.  
"Yes!" she squeaked. "Every file on you is under Sam! Even we don't know your full name, remember?"  
I nodded and walked up to my room, tossing Coco her hot chocolate on the way.  
In truth, Sam was no where in my name at all. My full name actually being Eternity Radiance Light.  
But that brought up too many painful memories, so when the agency rescued me from my living hell, I left the name behind and became Sam. Just Sam.  
I left my bag slung across the back of the chair sitting at my desk as I laid on my stomach atop bed. I kicked my legs back and forth as I hummed, then I began singing quietly.  
" _I'm lost and I'm broken, broken and bruised. That's my whole life, when I live without you. If I were at fault, would you call out my wrongs? Or would you just leave me alone? I don't know how much more of this I can take. Pretending to be happy, pretend to feel pain. To me I feel worthless, to you it's a game. Then why do I want to hear you say- my name_?" I sang quietly. Words just flowed from my mouth, not making any sense at all.  
"Sam!" came Becca's voice.  
"Pizza's here!" called Lizz.  
"I'm coming!" I called back. I swiped a piece of hair behind my ear as I got up.  
My hair was getting longer, it now reached my shoulders. I caught my reflection in the window soaked with rain.  
'I'm actually beginning to- look naturally like a girl,' I thought.

Emily: Eyecyrumba!  
Penny: What's the matter, Emily?  
Emily: That club today was rediculas. I don't know how much more I can take!  
Lizz + Becca: Well, we had fun.  
Sam: Of course YOU did. You got your first kisses.  
Everyone else: WHAT?!  
Lizz: It's no biggy.  
Becca: Seriously, it was only Hikaru and Kaoru.  
Emily: But your first kiss?  
Lizz + Becca: Next time, Cherry Steams and Butterfly Kisses!  
Coco: We'll see you then, cause I SOOO have to know what's going on.


	10. Cherry Steams and Butterfly Kisses

Becca's POV

"Okay, okay, watch this," Lizz said, taking a cherry from the bowl in the middle of us. Us being me, Lizz, Hikaru, and Kaoru. It was another Friday, and this Host Club meeting was outside with the Hosts dressed up.  
I watched closely as Lizz put the whole cherry, stem and all, into her mouth. She ate the cherry off the pit then spit the pit out, keeping the stem in her mouth. Then she began using her tongue to twist it and tie it.  
When she finished, she pulled the now knotted cherry stem out of her mouth and held it up. She grinned at the boys.  
"And this, boys," Lizz said with much dramatic flare. "Is why I'm confidant that I'm an amazing kisser."  
"Please," I told her, taking another cherry. "This is why I KNOW I'll be an amazing kisser." I plucked the stem off of the cherry and put part of it in my mouth. Because we'd done this before, Lizz leaned forward and took part of it as well into her mouth.  
Then we worked together to create three knots in the stem, all the while our lips never touching. But at a distance, we really looked like we were making out.  
When we finished the knots, Lizz pulled away and I held up the stem. "Ta da!" I said.  
Lizz rolled her eyes. "You've only perfected the two tying the knot," she said. "While I can do it by myself." I laughed at her.  
"Sure, that's all fine and dandy," I teased. "But kissing is a two person thing." We turned to the twins.  
"Who do you think does it better?" we asked.  
The twins looked baffled. They couldn't even form the words to answer us. It was cute.  
"We can't answer that," Hikaru said.  
"Because we've never kissed you," Kaoru finished.  
The let out an almost inaudible sigh of relief, thinking they'd gotten out of anything. Me and Lizz just leaned forward so we were almost face to face with each of them.  
"Then why don't you?" we questioned. "We're wide open."  
The twins stuttered for a few moments before me and Lizz backed up to our spots on the blanket. We laughed at them for a few minutes.  
"We were just kidding," Lizz said.  
"Yeah," I told them. "Why would give our first kisses to you two?"  
"You've never been kissed before?" the twins asked. We shook our heads.  
"We've done playful kisses with each other-" I started.  
"But no where near the mouth," Lizz finished.  
"We had our sweet sixteen last year," we said mock mournfully. "And we'd never been kissed."  
"Personally, I'm waiting for the right guy," I said.  
"Well, so am I," Lizz said defensively as I kinda glared at her. Then she smirked. "The right kind of hot."  
I rolled my eyes at her. "There's more to a guy than his hotness, you know," I said. Then I muttered under my breath "But in this Host Club, I'm not sure if that's true."  
"Hey!" Hikaru and Kaoru exclaimed.  
"Of course there's something there other than hotness," Lizz said. Then she looked at the twins. "There's yaoi."  
We snickered at their expressions. "We're just playing with you," we said. "It's nice to have some other friends for once."  
Hikaru and Kaoru looked at each other then us. "Friends?" they asked.  
We nodded. "What?" Lizz asked.  
"Did you think we were trying to flirt with you?" I asked.  
"Sorry, but no," Lizz said. "Sure, being friends and hanging out with each other and the other Hostesses is fun-  
"-but having others is nice too," I finished. "Even if we don't fancy having to do the bidding of the Hosts after the three months is over-"  
"-we're just not ready for a relationship," we finished together.  
"Right," the twins said together.  
A purple butterfly landed on Lizz's knuckles and she brought it up to eye level and smiled.  
Suddenly, my phone was going off with a familiar ringtone ( watch?v=JdZ3ZuP8...) I picked it up and flipped it open.  
"What was that?" Hikaru asked.  
"That was Becca's phone," Lizz said.  
"He meant that music," Kaoru told her.  
"That would be American music," Lizz said.  
"Shush!" I exclaimed, putting the phone up to my ear. "Yeah, Becca here."  
"Becca, it's Sam," came the voice on the other end. I tilted the phone because Lizz had leaned in to listen. "There's mayhem at the manor. I need you guys to come back."  
Ah, Sam went home alone.  
"Why didn't you just call Emily?" Lizz asked.  
"No duh, smart ass," Sam snapped. "My phone's contacts are alphabetized and Becca was first on the list. So, why don't you guys go get everyone else asap and get your asses over here?"  
"Roger," we said in unison. I flipped my light blue phone shut. "Well, boy, that's our cue to go."  
We stood together and I stuck my phone in my bag. The butterfly flew off.  
Then the boys stood as well. They looked at each other with a glint in their eyes. Then before we knew what was happening, the twins lightly placed their lips on ours.  
A ghost of a kiss.  
A butterfly kiss.  
Then Hikaru and Kaoru were gone. We left to tell the others Sam wanted us home, but was really on our mind was that we'd just had our first kisses.  
"I can't believe that happened," Lizz said as we waited in the limo for everyone.  
I nodded. "I know," I said. Then I smiled at her. "At least they're hot, right?"  
Lizz laughed and nodded. "At least they're hot," she agreed as she reclined on me.

Sam: Coco, you need to be more careful. You are always getting yourself into bad situations.  
Coco: Seeing Honey and Mori in an ally isn't a bad situation.  
Sam: But getting stalked, having to pull out your gun, and just being a young girl in a dark ally is.  
Coco: Fine! You win! I'm an idiot! Happy?  
Sam: Not in the slightest. I wasn't calling you an idiot.  
Coco: (muttered) Could have fooled me.  
Sam: I was called you reckless!  
Coco: Next time, Familiar Faces in Dark Allies. I'll see you then.


	11. Familiar Faces in Dark Allies

Coco's POV

After Sam's problem at the manor had been taken care of, I left.  
I just walked out of the manor with my white jacket on and zipped up. Of course, I wasn't unprotected. I had my gun in on of my pockets.  
It was getting dark, and I still had no intention of going home.  
Something had been bothering me. And I needed to figure it out before I went home.  
Oh, yeah.  
It was the fact that Mitsukuni had been at the Host Club.  
I mean, it could just be a coincidence, right?  
That Mitsukini was small like Honey, that he had blonde hair like Honey, that he liked sweets as much as Honey, that he had some tall guy hanging around him like Honey, that he was in the Host Club like Honey...  
"Damn it," I muttered. "He freakin' IS Honey." I was determined to not even SPEAK to Honey. To just ignore him. "But now I've gone and damn made nice with him."  
I grunted as I kicked a rock down an ally. I followed it. There was no lights down the ally, so it was pitch black. I couldn't see a thing.  
I dug my hands further into my pockets and felt the familiar cool of my gun. Then suddenly, something crashed to the ground behind me.  
Quicker than lightning, I was turned around, with my gun out and pointed into the dark. Even if I couldn't SEE I could still HEAR.  
Two heart beats.  
"Who the hell are you?" I seethed. "And why are you following me?"  
There was no answer. I could hear the shuffle of feet and I assumed on of the people was stepping in front of the other.  
I made sure to cock my gun good and loud. "Make one move at me, and I'll shoot," I warned. "And I'll get you both before you can do anything." I clenched my teeth and glared. "And I'll warn you: I NEVER miss."  
"Chloe?" came a familiar voice.  
"Who is it?" I asked, still not recognizing the voice.  
"Mitsukuni," said the voice. Then it clicked. It was definitely him.  
"Come out into the light," I ordered, walking backwards until I was out of the ally and in the light of a street lamp. Seconds latter, Mitsukuni and Takashi came out of the shadows. I continued to glare at them. "It could be considered stalking," I said. "And following me into a dark ally? Not exactly a bright thing to do. What were you two doing, following me?"  
"We were worried about you," Mitsukuni said. "You were walking alone, and it's night time."  
I groaned and finally stuffed my gun back in my pocket. "Yes, I realize this," I said. "But I'm not defenseless." I took the gun out and spun it on one finger before shoving it back into my pocket. "As I said, I never miss. I had no intention of getting hurt."  
"Chloe-" Honey began.  
"Coco," I said, looking down. "That's what everyone else calls me, anyway. I figured out who you are, so you should know who I am."  
"You're Coco?" Honey asked with a squeak. It was actually quite cute.  
No! Bad Coco! You weren't supposed to do that! You were supposed to play with him if you felt up to even talking to him!  
But- I couldn't. He was too innocent, even if he was older than me.  
I nodded, feeling kinda ashamed.  
"Yes," I said, my voice bitter. More at myself than anything. Then I stomped my foot on the ground like the child I looked like. "Ugh!" I screamed. Honey and Mori gave me surprised looks. "Why the hell do you have to be so damn easy to talk to?! I was supposed to hate you because you act like such a freakin' child! But damn you, Honey, because I can't do what Emily wants and play with your emotions!"  
I fell to the ground and pulled my knees to my chest, burying my face in my arms that wrapped around them.  
Why the hell couldn't I control my own emotions? Just- all this rage at myself, all this confusion built up and I had no control over it when I let loose.  
Emily always used to joke with me that I was like a bomb waiting to go off. I could hold it all in, every emotion, until the final straw and I'd blow. And she didn't want to be there when it happened because it would devastate everything around me.  
I jumped when a hand was placed on my shoulder. I looked up to see Honey. He sat by me on the gravel.  
"Tama-san said that we shouldn't even associate ourselves with any of you," he said in his cute little voice. "But I like you." He smiled a big, closed eye smile. "You're a great friend!"  
I gave a very small laugh through my closed mouth and smiled slightly. "So, you don't hate me?" I asked.  
"There's no reason for me to," Honey said.  
I just blinked at him for a few moments. "You're really something, Mitsukuni Honey Haninozuka," I told him. "Not just anyone would say they have no reason to hate me after finding out they're supposed to and I threatened to kill them."  
"You're not just anyone either, Coco," Honey said. Then he surprised me and hugged me tightly. "You're special! You're cute, and you're sweet!"  
I snorted. "Honey is sweet," I said. "Coco is bitter."  
"Until you mix it in with all the other ingredients, then it because the best chocolate in the world!" Honey exclaimed.  
I blushed a light shade of pink.  
The other ingredients... My friends. Honey, too.  
I was always told that I was a much kinder person around Sam, braver around Mickey and Emily, happier around Penny, sillier around Becca and Lizz. They always brought out the best in me. But what about Honey? I was definitely sweeter around this small blonde boy.  
Mix it all together and you get me. Chloe Keeton. Coco.  
And somehow, in only a few short weeks, Honey had figured out who exactly I was before I did.  
He'd seen through the tough girl facade I'd put up to deal with the pain of my past and right to my core.  
Honey pulled me to my feet and Mori picked us both up, one in each arm. "Mori can carry you home!" Honey said giddily.  
I rolled my eyes but leaned against him anyway as I told Mori the address to the manor. I was tired, and I probably wouldn't have made it home.  
After Mori dropped me off in front of the gates surrounding the manor, I watched them leave while sitting on the stairs leading up to the front door.  
"You're really somethin', Honey," I muttered, rolling my eyes at his image in my mind.  
The door opened behind me. "Hey, Coco," came Mickey's voice. "Dinner's still warm if you're hungry."  
"I'll be in in a minute," I told him. A few seconds later, I heard the door shut.  
After I tired of sitting outside, I walked inside then went up to my room. I jumped onto my bed and hugged Titania close to my chest, smiling brightly.

Coco: Sam? I'm scared.  
Sam: (nodding) Me too.  
Emily: (shudders) It's just hard to forget...  
Lizz: And he's gone-  
Becca: He didn't deserve to.  
Mickey: Everything that happened-  
Penny: I can't let them know-  
All: It's so hard, to not let them know.  
Penny: Next time, Nightmares.  
Mickey: We'll see you then.

A/N: So I have to ask, who's your favorite couple that's actually been introduced and interacting? Emily/Mickey, Honey/Coco, Lizz and Becca/Kaoru and Hikaru? Or perhaps some hints at other couples that I haven't yet made interact? Or do you ship others together other than what I've written? Please tell me, down in the comments below. Oh, and if you could give me ship names for them, cause I can't think of any and I think it'd be cute...  
Anyway, I'm done now.


	12. Nightmares

Emily's POV

 _Everything was bleak. It wasn't grey, or white, or black. There was no color._  
 _No life._  
 _And it was the only place I'd ever know._  
 _I held my knees to my chest tightly._  
 _I was only a six year old little girl, and even though I'd never seen the sun in my life, I knew it wasn't humane to keep kids locked up like caged animals. To stick needles in them with strange fluids. To experiment on them like lab rats._  
 _The door to my dim room opened and two of my torturers walked in._  
 _I backed up against the wall._  
 _"N-No," I stuttered._  
 _They'd poke me with those sharp needles, injecting painful substances into my system that would do odd things to me._  
 _Already, my eye sight, my hearing, my smell. All of my senses were heightened more than the normal person's. And the sad part was, I was one of the few survivors. There'd been as many as twenty kids my age around this place that I could count when i saw them, now we down to only a meager five._  
 _"No!" I screamed, flailing and kicking as the doctors picked me up by my arms and began taking me away. "No! No! Let me go! Someone! Help! Please! Nooooo!"_  
 _But there was no one to help. There never was._  
 _I was still struggling as I was strapped down on the hospital bed with leather straps that dug into my arms and legs. Three doctors had to hold me down so the fourth could put a sedative into my blood stream._  
 _Unwillingly, I became sleepy and calmed down._  
 _In my other arm, they put a needle connected to a hanging bag. The glowing purple liquid ran from the bag, down the tube, into the needle, and into my blood._  
 _I began squirming again from the pain._  
 _The sedative slowly made me pass out though._  
 _Or it could have been from the pain AND sedative._

I woke up in a cold sweat. It was FREEZING in my room. I turned to my clock, it was only 2:18.  
I groaned as I fell back onto my pillow.  
"I should NOT have eaten that chocolate right before bed," I muttered.  
I closed my eyes again and unconsciously, my hand went to the back of my neck. There still stood the dark blue number that'd been my name for the first twelve years of my life.  
"I wish I didn't have to lie," I said.

Coco's POV

 _"Mother!" I called, walking into the one room house. "I'm home!"_  
 _The woman who was my mother stepped out from behind her little wall she bought. She had a cigarette in her hand. She glared harshly at me. "What are you doing back here, brat?" she snarled.  
_ _I gulped and could smell the alcohol on her breath from where I stood. "Y-Y-You told me to be back home by five," I told her shakily._  
 _"Yeah?" she snapped. "Well I changed my mind. Get lost, and get out of my sight."_  
 _"B-B-But i-i-it's g-g-getting d-dark outs-side," I stuttered fearfully. We lived in the slummiest part of town, and all kinds of things could happen._  
 _The CRACK! of her hand on my cheek resounded throughout the house. She forcefully grabbed my chin and made me look at her. "Does. It. Look. Like. I. Care?" she growled lowly._  
 _"M-Mother-" I began. That earned me a smack on my mouth and I cringed._  
 _"Don't talk back to me, you ungrateful child!" she shrieked. "I take you in, out of the goodness of my heart, and this is how you repay me?!"_  
 _"I-I'm s-sorry, M-Mother," I said, shamefully bowing my head._  
 _"And stop that stuttering!" yelled Mother._  
 _"Y-Yes." I gulped. "Yes, Mother." I felt on the peak of breaking._  
 _Before I knew what was happening, Mother had a knife in her hand and I was pinned to the ground. I shook under her iron, drunken hold. The knife came towards my face and i shut my eyes tight. I felt pain by my ear and a sticky substance._  
 _I opened my eyes to see Mother grinning sadistically. "That'll teach you talk back to your dear, caring mother," she said in a crazed voice."Now get out! Out of my house! I don't want to see your face!"_  
 _I jumped to my feet and ran out of the hovel and didn't look back. I couldn't see for the blurred tears._  
 _I tripped and fell down in a dark ally. I clutched mt knees to my chest fearfully._  
 _Who knows what would happen to me? Maybe Mother would come looking for me, the she'd drag me home and cut me more. Or maybe Father would find me curled up here and decide to do his way with me right here. Or Lukas, or Miranda, or even Evan._  
 _Any of them could find me and I'd still be screwed._  
 _I didn't fit in. With my blonde hair and purple eyes, I didn't fit in with their dark skin, black eyes, and even blacker hair._  
 _And so they all hated me._  
 _The next morning, I woke up still in the ally. I reached up to feel where Mother had cut the day before. Where my ear was supposed to be, there was only dried blood. And I could hear nothing from it._  
 _I closed my eyes and laid down again, tears stinging my eyes._  
 _I was only ten, and I already had more scars than most people I knew._

"Ah!" I screamed as I woke up from my nightmare. I was sitting up in bed, my eyes wide open. I looked around, confirming my surroundings and that my dream had been just that. A dream.  
I slung my legs off my bed and pulled my fuzzy slippers on. I picked up Titania and walked out of my room and toward the main room.  
I was just going to pick out a movie and watch it until I fell asleep, or maybe a few movies.  
Like I gave a damn that it was two freaking thirty in the morning.

Lizz's POV

 _Daddy placed us in a cardboard box, to shield us against the rain as best he could._  
 _"You'll be safe here for now," Daddy said, brushing dark hair from my face. His dark skin looked even darker compared to my light skin. "Now, be good girls and stay here."_  
 _We nodded as Daddy walked off. Both me and Becca knew he was going to get us food to fill our empty bellies._  
 _I leaned against Becca and she wrapped her arms around me. We were both dangerously thin, and so was Daddy. But no one in this town wanted to hire a black man. It just wasn't fair.  
_ _And Daddy knew we wouldn't be any better off in an orphanage, we'd just get separated. And there was little food in those as well. That wasn't fair either._  
 _Life wasn't very fair for those with little money._  
 _Becca sniffed._  
 _"What is it?" I asked._  
 _"I smell smoke," she said. Her eyes narrowed at the end of the ally we were in._  
 _"Daddy said to stay here," I reminded her._  
 _"But what if he needs help?" Becca asked._  
 _Four year old impulsiveness took over and we left the box and ran to the end of the ally, our small hands intertwined. I let Becca lead the way because she could smell the smoke._  
 _"Lizz! Becca!" Daddy exclaimed when he saw us by the crowd watching the firemen try to put the house on fire out. "I told you to stay back!"_  
 _"No!" exclaimed a woman near by. She was struggling to get out of a fireman's arms and run to the burning house. "My baby!" she cried, tears slipping down her face. "She's still inside."_  
 _Daddy looked from us, to the woman, to the burning house. He knelt in front of us and gave us a serious look. "Stay. Here," he commanded. "I don't want either of you to get hurt."_  
 _"We promise," we said._  
 _Daddy nodded, satisfied, before running through a gap in the crowd toward the house._  
 _"Hey! Get back here!" a fireman called. "The house is about to collapse!"_  
 _Daddy ignored him and kicked in the front door. It splintered and he ran in. I couldn't see him and began to get worried, twin intuition told me Becca was worried as well._  
 _Daddy ran out of the house a few minutes later, holding a small bundle wrapped in a white blanket. Just as he made it a few meters away, the house collapsed into it's self._  
 _The firemen helped Daddy cross the yard and sit on the bed of an ambulance. He handed the baby off to it's mother, who thanked him greatly. Then he began coughing heavily. He choked on smoke and ash as he rocked back and forth._  
 _The people in the ambulance couldn't do anything to help him._  
 _We ran toward Daddy when he fell of the bed and to the street. "Daddy!" we cried. We pushed our way through the crowd as ran to each of Daddy's sides._  
 _I shook him, but he wasn't breathing. I turned to one of the firemen. "Help him!" I demanded. "Please!"_  
 _Tears formed in my eyes as me and Becca were gently pushed aside. They tried pumping his heat back to life, they tried breathing into his mouth. But nothing worked. Daddy didn't move._  
 _"No!" me and Becca screamed. "Daddy!"_  
 _People led us away from him, and the whispering began._  
 _When people tried to put us into different cars, we bolted. We ripped ourselves from their hands and ran as fast as our little legs could take us._  
 _We JUST lost out Daddy, we weren't losing each other as well._  
 _"Come on, Lissanna!" Becca cried._

I woke up, eyes wide and breathing hard, at remembering my father's death. Because he HAD been my biological father.  
Becca fidgeted beside me.  
I took her hand and intertwined our fingers.  
"Dream of it?" I asked. Becca nodded slowly and I got closer to her. We embraced in the bed, our leg intertwining as well.  
"Yeah," Becca whispered. "It's terrible. He did something so GOOD, and he died because of it."  
I squeezed her tightly. "He's still with us," I said quietly, nuzzling my face into Becca's chest. "In our hearts." My voice broke like it did every time when I talked about Dad. Tears spilled from my eyes and whetted Becca's shirt.  
Becca ran her fingers through my hair and made comforting noises, trying to get me back to sleep. "I'm right here," she whispered. "I wlays will be. I won't leave you. You can sleep, Lizz," she whispered.  
It made me hurt knwoing that she had to comfort me when she was in just as much pain over it.  
"I'm sorry," I whispered. I bit my lip. "I'm not as strong as you, Becca. Every time I have that nightmare, I start bawling like a little baby."  
Becca clicked her tongue. "Nonsense," she said. "You're plenty strong. Stronger than me in some situations. We each have our own paths to go, our own purposes. And mine is to be here for you in these times, that's all."  
I smiled into her chest as I drifted back to sleep.

Sam's POV

 _I sat on my plush bed._  
 _The comforter was pink, as were the pillows and the stuffed animals that covered it._  
 _My walls were painted a pastel pink, and the floor was covered in a pretty pink rug. On the other side of the room was a pink book shelf and dozens of toys._  
 _But I didn't want any of it._  
 _None of it._  
 _I didn't want the pink, Victorian era dress I wore. I didn't want the pearls that held my shiny black hair up. I didn't want the pearls around my neck or wrists either. Or the pink heels I wore under my poofy skirts._  
 _And I most certainly didn't wanted to be pampered on the outside but be treated like a dog the rest of the time._  
 _I was treated like a princess, I was given anything and everything a girl could want._  
 _But the one thing_ _ **I**_ _wanted._  
 _I wanted to be free. To be able to leave this pink filled mansion and return home._  
 _But by now, everyone probably assumed I was dead._  
 _I'd gone missing when I was seven, and I was now twelve. I'd been kidnapped and sold on the black market. Now, I was used as entertainment for my 'master's' guests. And himself, of course._  
 _The door opened and I raise my dull, crystalline blue eyes._  
 _"The master wishes to see you," the maid said. Her voice quivered, and I couldn't help but wonder if the master had promised her some 'fun' later on._  
 _"I'm coming," I said. I stood and straitened my dress. Then I followed the maid to the dining hall._  
 _The master was seated at the head, with a few male guests alone either side of the long table. His eyes twinkled greedily when he saw me.  
"Ah, there she is!" he exclaimed. "My princess, Eternity!"_  
 _I forced myself to smile at him. "Good evening," I said. I had to force myself to say the next word, these were new guests. "Father."_  
 _He waved me over and gestured for me to sit on his lap. I did so slowly and dinner was served._  
 _I wasn't allowed to feed myself. The master fed me. The whole time, he ran him hand up and down my leg. Then, he pulled my skirt up under the table and began fingering me._  
 _I tried to not squirm. A, I was starved, and b, it would just mean more trouble for me if I did._  
 _"Aren't you just a good little princess?" the master cooed in my ear. I twitched, and had to resist the urge to flinch. He back up a bit. "Would you like another bite,_ _ **princess**_ _?" he asked._  
 _I gulped and nodded shakily._  
 _"I'm sorry, princess, I didn't hear that," the master said, toying with me._  
 _"Y-Yes, Father," I said, making sure to be loud and clear._  
 _No reason to prolong the doomed to happen._  
 _After dinner, the master saw the guests out, me forced to hang on him the whole time._  
 _Then he took me to his chambers, not bothering to lock the door. I had no way to escape anyway._  
 _I shivered when, in one quick motion, he loosened the laces on my dress. The sleeves to my dress fell around my shoulders now._  
 _He came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. "Do be a good girl and let your hair down for papa, princess," he said, his hot breath on my ear._  
 _I slowly lifted my hand to remove the pearls holding my hair up. My long, black hair fell down in an obsidian waterfall._  
 _"Now," he said, picking me up and placing me on the bed. He smiled cruelly. "Let's have some fun."_  
 _I was used, battered and bruised. By the age of twelve, I'd lost my innocence hundreds times over. To countless old men._  
 _He rented me out. I was treated like nothing more than a- than a doll!_  
 _And that's all I was now._  
 _I was put into pretty little pink dresses, I had my hair styled and brushed. I was used, played with. My eyes were dull, lifeless. Just like a doll._  
 _No one would save me._

"NOOOOO!" I screamed upon waking. I was covered in sweat, tears were in my eyes, and I shook uncontrollably.  
Finally, my vision cleared and I could tell that I wasn't back at that place.  
I sighed and clenched my sheets. I could NEVER go back to that place, or go through that again.  
I wouldn't be able to stay sane.  
Fresh tears spilled from my eyes as I turned onto my stomach.  
I sobbed into my pillow for comfort.  
Sometimes- Sometimes I thought about telling Coco, or Emily. Even Penny or Becca and Lizz why I was wary around Mickey, and just freaked out around males.  
But then I never could. They had their own problems, and they didn't need mine on top of them.

Penny's POV

 _Tears fell from my eyes in waterfalls._  
 _My outstretched hand shook, from fear and pain._  
 _Fear that the gun pointed at my head would shoot me, and pain that I knew it would if I didn't shoot my parents._  
 _"Penny," Daddy spoke quietly, in that deep voice of his. "Do it."_  
 _I shook my head. "I-I c-c-can't!" I said. "I can't pull the trigger!"_  
 _"Honey, you have your whole life ahead of you," Mommy said. Her voice was laced with sadness. No eight year old child should have to make this decision._  
 _Their life or their parents'?_  
 _"Penny," Mommy begged. "Please."_  
 _"I can't!" I choked out. I shook violently as the man holding the gun to my temple cocked the gun._  
 _"You got ten seconds, girly," he hissed. "Make your choice. You? Or your precious Mommy and Daddy?"_  
 _"Penny..." Daddy whispered. He nodded at me. I didn't want to!_  
 _I couldn't! I wasn't a-a-a killer! I wasn't a murder! And I couldn't kill my parents. I loved them!_  
 _Thunder crashed outside, taking away the silence and making me jump. While this happened, my finger instinctively curled around the trigger and pulled. The gun shot and when I looked up, there was a blood on the ground, and Daddy laid on the floor. A bullet wound in the middle of his forehead._  
 _"Daddy!" I screamed. I wanted to run to him, but the man held me frozen to my spot._  
 _"Finnish the damn job," he snarled._  
 _I shook my head, fresh tears coming. "I- can't," I sobbed._  
 _The man pushed the gun further against my head. "then I'll just have to dispose of you," he said mockingly._  
 _"No!" Mommy screeched. She jumped from her spot on the ground and tackled me to the ground. The man shot the gun and I saw it hit Mommy in a fatal place._  
 _She was gone before we ever hit the ground._  
 _"NOOOO!" I screamed. "Mommy!"_  
 _I didn't think twice as I rolled away from her and picked up the fallen gun. I was still on my hands and knees._  
 _"You are truly evil," I said. "You threaten to kill a little girl, you make her killed her father, and you kill her mother. You're the most evil thing."_  
 _I looked up, and I could feel anger and a dark aura coming off me in waves._  
 _I lifted the gun and pointed it at him and shot without a second thought._  
 _After he fell, it took a few minutes for my actions to finally to catch up to me._  
 _I fell to my knees, the gun dropping to my side out of my hand._  
 _"What have I done?" I asked through my sobs. I covered my face with my hands._  
 _I WAS a killer. I WAS a murderer, for I'd just done so._  
 _I just killed a man, and my own father._

I woke with a start. I sat up quickly in my bed and fumbled around my nightstand for my glasses.  
I looked at my hands. Stained with invisible blood.  
"I know what they say about me," I whispered, fighting tears. "They say that I'm fragile, that I'm too innocent for my own good. But if they knew- No. They can't know."  
I slung my legs over the side of my bed and walked over to my window seat. I sat in the window, my back against the wall, looking out the window.  
I banged the back of my head on the wall as tears spilled from my eyes.  
"I should have just let him kill me," I muttered. I sat in that same spot for at least three hours, watching outside as the sun rose.

Mickey's POV

 _"Hurry it up!" I shouted. I slid into the seat of a fancy car and Johnny slid in on the other side._  
 _"Nice ride," Johnny joked. But of course, it actually was. The newest model of Mercedes Benz (_ 2013-Mercedes-Benz-SL-01) _, and I was going to hot wire it._  
 _I huffed. "This is no time for jokes," I snapped. I took out my wires and stuck them in the key part. Sirens called in the distance._  
 _"Uh, Mickster, you might want to hurry this up," Johnny suggested. I elbowed him without breaking rhythm._  
 _"I hear them, idiot," I said. The engine roared to life. I sat back in the seat and put both hands on the wheel, then I smirked at my partner in crime. "Buckle up," I said. I pushed on the gas pedal and speed off._  
 _Johnny laughed like the idiot he was as I drove down streets, down allies, and made rediculas jumps with the car all at top speed, just to evade the police._  
 _Once I was sure we weren't being followed, I drove the car to the dock. It bumped along the wooden dock as we made our way to the warehouse._  
 _"So you're finally back, Mickey," said a voice I'd known for the past year and a half. Keith._  
 _Johnny jumped out of the car without even opening the door. He checked his watch. "Actually, Keith, Mickster here set a new record," he said._  
 _"Forget about it, Johnny," I muttered. "Don't you have an appointment with your sister?" I ruffled my already unruly hair as I stepped out of the car._  
 _Johnny turned back to Keith. "Where's my sister?" he growled._  
 _Keith just gave him a cocky grin. "What if I don't want to tell you?" the older male asked cockily._  
 _I glared at him harshly. "God dammit, Keith, let Johnny see his bloody sister or I swear to god I'll get the police here in less than five minutes," I threatened. And I would do it to. I knew everything about a car, even at twelve, and I could push a few button, twist a few wires, and the police would be led directly here._  
 _Keith snarled. "So that's how you want to play?" he mocked._  
 _I said nothing, only glared and tapped my fingers on the hood of the car._  
 _Then Keith laughed. "Too bad you're all bark and no bite, eh 'Mickster'?" Keith asked._  
 _'Too bad that's what YOU think,' I thought to myself, folding my arms. 'Basterd.'_  
 _He walked off a little ways. Then he tore off a covering on what I had presumed was a box, but could now see it was a cage that held a brown haired girl a year younger than I._  
 _Alise, Johnny's little sister._  
 _Alise looked up and spotted, smiling. Even though she was held captive for Johnny's cooperation, she managed to keep smiling. It amazed me, really._  
 _"Hiya, Johnny!" she said happily. Johnny ran over to the cage and gave her a hug as best her could through the bars._  
 _"I missed you," Johnny said._  
 _Alise hugged him back through the bars. "I missed you too, big brother," she said._  
 _I huffed slightly and walked off, further into the warehouse._  
 _Keith was widely known, in the black market business that is. He mostly sold things such as stolen cars, sometimes drugs. But there was also the rare occasion that he'd sell someone._  
 _That's the only reason I did what he told me. He held it over my head that if he ever found me useless, I ever tried to run, or I didn't heed his every order, I'd be gone with the snap of my fingers._  
 _He'd sell me right off the bat._  
 _And that scared me._  
 _I liked knowing what was in for me for the future. I liked certainties._  
 _Where I was now, I'd be stealing cars for a long time. Getting better, getting riskier. Maybe I'd get a job, because sure as hell I wasn't getting paid._  
 _But I knew that one day, I'd get caught. Dumped in prison. I might get a few years, or a life sentence._  
 _But I was never getting away clean slated for my whole life._  
 _Johnny found me relining on a stolen chair. I cracked open one of my eyes to see he'd taken a seat near by, and he visibly shook._  
 _"Did Keith tell you the next shipment he needs?" I asked._  
 _Johnny nodded. "One hundred cars," he said._  
 _I shrugged. "That's not bad," I said, closing my eyes again. "I can do tha-"_  
 _"In three days," Johnny whispered._  
 _I jumped from my seat so fast, it knocked me and the chair over. I got up to look over the side of the fallen chair. "WHAT?!" I exclaimed. "THREE days? Only three? He's got to be kidding! I may be good, but I ain't THAT good!"_  
 _Johnny looked me in the eye and I could see the fear written on his face. "We have to TRY," Johnny said._  
 _I knew. He was worried out of his mind for Alise. Keith was playing around when he made threats._  
 _"Of course we will," I snapped. "I'm not going to back down from a challenge." And I was already planning something._  
 _I knew perfectly well that I wasn't going to be able to do it, so we needed a back up plan. I wasn't going to allow Alise to get hurt, and I sure as hell wasn't going to be sold on the black market._  
 _Three days later, we only had seventy two cars. As I said: I wasn't getting all of them._  
 _"It's almost six," Johnny said, pacing nervously._  
 _I sighed irritibly and dug for the key in my back pocket. I got it and tossed it to Johnny._  
 _"What's this?" he asked, raising an eyebrow._  
 _I gave him a look. "Find your sister as soon as we get to the warehouse," I demanded._  
 _Johnny nodded uncertainly. As soon as the couple whose car we were stealing was in the store, we sneaked over to the car. I used my wires to unlock the door then climbed in, Johnny after me._  
 _Seconds later, we were cruising down the road. The lights were dark in the warehouse as I pulled in._  
 _"Get looking," I whispered as me and Johnny climbed out of the car._  
 _Johnny nodded and left. I walked over to another car and opened the hood. I began fiddling with the right wires until I heard a SCREECH! SCREECH! come from the car. Johnny came running from the way he ran off in._  
 _He held Alise's hand tightly._  
 _"Get in," I told them, getting into the car we JUST stole. The two did as told. I restarted the engine and took off at high speed. "The police will be there in a few minutes," I explained, my eyes still on the road. "Whether Keith is there or not depends. But they'll still know who he is. I made sure of that."_  
 _"Where are we going?" Alise asked as we exited the town. "There isn't anything but desert this way for three thousand miles, and this car won't last that long. Neither will we."_  
 _I smirked. "That's also what Keith thinks," I said. "What do you think I was doing the past two days when I disappeared for a few hours?"_  
 _"You've been planning this?" Johnny asked, gasping._  
 _I shot him a look. "Keith is an idiot," was all I said._

I woke with a start.  
Luckily, me Johnny, and Alise had made it out of the desert in a couple of days. When we reached the next town, the agency had been there to pick me up.  
But I refused to go with them if they didn't take Alise and Johnny too, so we all went.  
And that's were they still were.  
Bright sunlight peeked through the windows and I peeked at my clock.  
"Ugh!" I whined. "Too early!"  
I rolled over and covered my head with a pillow to block out the light and went back to sleep.

Mickey: What the hell are you guys doing here?!  
Tamaki: Well, um, uh-  
Mickey: Never mind that, Emily will kill me if she find out that you're here!  
Kyoya: Isn't that a bit of an exaggeration?  
Mickey: Will Emily, no way in hell.  
Hikaru + Kaoru: We only wanted to follow the girls.  
Mickey: Why I outta-!  
Honey: I think it's time to run!  
Mori: Yeah.  
Mickey: Next time, Busy Day. I'll see you then.

This is probably the longest chapter you'll get, so be happy with it!


	13. Busy Day

Mickey's POV

I staggered down the stairs, only having gotten two more hours of sleep after my dream woke me up.  
I yawned loudly as I walked into the kitchen, still in my pajamas.  
"Morning, babe," Emily said with a smirk. I rubbed my eyes and sat down by Coco. Everyone else was apparently already up.  
"Mornin', Em," I replied. Lizz put a plate piled with bacon, eggs, and waffles on my plate. "Thanks."  
I looked around at everyone. Beside's Emily's smirk, that was now fading, everyone looked down in the dumps. Dark circles under their eyes, eyes red, a distant and sleepy look on their face.  
I gulped down my bite of bacon and nudged Coco in the side. She hadn't even taken a sip of her hot chocolate.  
"You guys look worse than I feel," I said. "You guys have nightmares last night too?"  
Everyone nodded simultaneously.  
"I know I did," Emily said.  
"Me too," Penny replied.  
"Same nightmare, over and over again," Coco whispered.  
"Terrible," Becca and Lizz said as one.  
"In short, yes," Sam said.  
I sighed and finished off my breakfast. Then I stood up and took my plate to the sighed at me.  
"You could have let me get it," she said.  
I gave my girlfriend a look. "What do I look like? Sexist?" I asked. I walked up behind her and wrapped my arms around her waist. "I'm part of the team too, I'm not going to make you do all the work."  
I leaned down and kissed her gently on the cheek.  
"You girls need to go back to bed, though," I told them. "You're falling asleep in your breakfast."  
"Noooooo," Coco whined. "I'm not going back to bed!"  
Penny was quick to shake her head as well. "Neither are we!" the twins chimed.  
Emily leaned back into my embrace. "None of us want to risk those dreams again," she said.  
I tapped my chin. "Then why don't you girls load up on caffeine and go have a girl's day out?" I suggested. "You haven't had one together since before we left America."  
That brightened their faces, even Sam's.  
"Great idea!" Emily exclaimed. She jumped from my arms and turned to me. Then she wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me. "You're brilliant, Mickey," she told me. "It's just what we need for a pick-me-up."  
Sam stood up and stretched. "We better get dressed if we're going to go," she said. The other girls nodded and in less than five minutes, Emily and I were left alone.  
I helped her pick up the left plates and cups.  
"I'll probably go see if Haruhi wants to join us," Emily said thoughtfully. "She doesn't seem to get out that often. With girls that is."  
I nodded. That was true. She hung around guys a lot, with the Host Club and whatnot. And Emily could usually read someone like an open book, even if they were someone who had ten impossible locks on that the keys to had been thrown out.  
"Oh, and Mickey?" Emily asked.  
"Hmm?" I replied.  
"Do you think you can check on my car?" she asked. "It's been acting up for the past couple weeks, and I don't really fancy having it break down in public."  
"Sure, babe," I said, rolling my eyes at her. "And before you ask, YES you can borrow my car."  
Emily squealed and hugged me from behind and almost made me fall backwards.  
"Woah!" I exclaimed.  
Emily giggled as she let go. "You're amazing," she said. Then the pinkette ran off after the others girls to go get ready.  
As soon as the girls left, I began looking for my stuff to fix Emily's car.  
Then the computer began beeping, signaling a skype call coming in.  
"Ouch!" I exclaimed as I bumped my head on the counter I was under. I was rubbing my head as I walked over to the computer in the kitchen. I saw Alise's smiling face on the screen and accepted the call.  
"MICKEY!" she exclaimed brightly.  
I smiled and sat down in the chair. "Hey Alise," I told her. "How're things at HQ?"  
Alise bit her lip. "That's actually why I called," she said. She shook her head. "It's not pretty."  
"What'd you mean?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.  
Alise sighed and held her head in her hands. "The directors are getting impatient for you to find the target and get her back in the US," she said. "If you don't get it done soon, the team's being pulled out and another's getting put in."  
I grumbled under my breath a few not nice words about the directors. "How long do we have?" I asked Alise when I looked back up.  
"Until the end of the school year," she told me.  
"Can you work your magic and get extended til the end of summer?" I asked.  
Alise nodded. "I can try," she said. "But it might not work. I've had to pull in a few favors already."  
"Then we'll have to make it work," I said. Alise smiled at me.  
"So, any leads yet?" the sixteen year old asked. I nodded and opened a knew window.  
I uploaded the page I found on Kadance so Alise could see it.  
"She definitely it," Alise agreed. From my view point, it looked like she was scanning me. But I could tell she was looking at the page. Then she closed out of it. "Why do you think she ran away?" Alise asked. "I mean, Jennifer McHearten was a very privileged child. She had everything. And she always seemed happy."  
I shrugged. "Doesn't mean anything," I told her. "But it does make me wonder if we should be finding this girl and bringing her home."  
"We do what the boss says, and the boss does what he's hired to do," Alise said. Then she folded her arms and rolled her eyes as she sat back in her seat. "It just make every single one of us puppets, though. It's almost like being trapped again. Did you know I haven't been outside, actually outside, in six years? Just because I don't have a team."  
I nodded. It made Alise restless, and she complained about it all the time to all her friends, and the directors.  
"I know," I told her. "Soon, though. I promise, I'll get you out."  
Alise nodded. "Alise, come on!" came the sound of Johnny's voice.  
Alise turned her head. "Coming!" she called back. Then she turned back to me. "I gotta run," she said. "But good luck to you."  
I smiled at her. "To you too," I said. "Tell Johnny I said hi."  
Alise smiled too as she reached forward to push the off button. "Will do," she told me. Then the screen went black. I turned off the computer and took the bag I found and went to go work on Emily's car.  
I popped the hood and slipped on a pair of goggles.  
I worked to the radio for a few hours before I felt the eyes on my back. Every time I turned, though, there was no one.  
Until I caught a flash of blonde in the plants by the wall. I wiped the oil from my hands on my jeans and walked inside. Then I picked up a baseball bat from inside and walked out the side door.  
I snuck by the wall and into the pants, carefully and quietly walking up behind the person spying on me. Or rather, persons.  
I tapped the blonde closest to me on the shoulder and casually leaned against the wall as he freaked out and spun on me.  
"Now," I said, casually swinging the bat with both hands. "Any of you idiots want to tell me what you're doing here?"  
"Well, I never-" the blonde I'd tapped started, but was interrupted by two twins.  
"Yes you have, boss," said one.  
"You've been called an idiot many times," said the other.  
They looked at a black hair boy with glasses. "But Kyoya is a first," the said.  
I sighed, aggravated. Then I swung the bat, hard and fast, at the blonde's face. It stopped a hair from hitting him. "I really suggest you begin talking. Next time, I don't think I'll be able to stop."  
"Fine!" the blonde exclaimed. "We'll talk! Don't hurt me!"  
I slowly moved the bat away, and held it casually at my side. "So, start," I said.  
"Well, um, uh," the blonde stuttered.  
The one with glasses sighed and pushed them up. "I distinctly remember you saying that we were going to follow Haruhi," he said. Kyoya. Geez, the people in Japan had weird names. But to them, we probably did too.  
"Haruhi, Haruhi," I muttered, tapping my chin. "Oh yeah! That's who Emily said she was going to invite for a girl's day out!"  
"Girl's day out?!" most of the boys asked.  
I nodded and shrugged. "The girls wanted a fun day, and Emily thought it's be nice for Haruhi o come along. Which, y the way, did not entitle coming back here until the day was over," I said. "None of the girls are here."  
The boys groaned. "So we sat here for hours for nothing?" the twins groaned to the blonde.  
"You're the Host Club, aren't you?" I asked. They nodded. I sighed and lifted the bat over my shoulder then began walking back to the kitchen. I looked over my shoulder. "You coming?" I asked.  
Then they were all scrambling after me inside. I gestured for them to sit at the table.  
They reluctantly did so. I rolled my eyes at them and took my own seat, bat discarded. I pointed to each one in turn as I said their name. "Tell me if I get this wrong," I said. "Tamaki, Kyoya, Mori. You're- Honey, right?" I got a nod from the small boy holding a stuffed rabbit. I nodded at the fridge. "There's a chocolate cake in there if you want it."  
The boy squealed and ran to the fridge. He took out the one layer chocolate cake and sat back down with it. I handed him one of the forks.  
Then I turned to the remaining two Hosts. "I'm even going to TRY and guess which of you is who," I said. "But it's Kaour and Hikaru, correct?"  
They nodded with impish smiles. Geez, reminded me of a few people I knew.  
"Name's Mickey," I said. "And I would greatly suggest you keep today's little ordeal to ourselves. Haruhi would most likely kill you if she knew that you were trying to spy on her, and Emily WILL kill me if she finds out I threatened to hit you with a baseball bat." They gave each other looks. "She wants that privilege for herself. Not kidding."  
Tamkai gulped. "Emily's brutal, isn't she?" he asked. I smirked.  
"You have absolutely no idea," I told him.  
They stuck around until dusk, watching me work on the car. Emily REALLY should have come to me sooner. It was REALLY messed up, I was surprised that it still ran.  
"Do most commoners know how to do this?" Tamki asked. I was under the car, cleaning up the extra oil I'd used.  
I grunted before answering. "I have no idea about HERE," I told him. "But in America, some. There's usually an auto shop you can go to to get your car fixed. I've just been able to do this since I was eleven, so I do it."  
"Wow," Tamaki said, his voice filled with wonder.  
I rolled back out. "You REALLY don't know anything about so called 'commoner' stuff?" I asked, in complete disbelief.  
Tamaki nodded. Then he looked up and off into the distance. "Yeah," he said. "But Haruhi's teaching us all about it. It's fascinating."  
I got up off the rolling board and wiped my hands on my jeans. "Geez, man," I said. "Ask the girl out already. It's obvious you like her, a lot." I started heading in. Then I looked over my shoulder. "You guys should get to leaving before the girls get back."  
I walked into the kitchen and began washing my hands free of oil and dirt. Then I splashed water on my face.  
"Mickey-chan?" came Honey's voice.  
"It's just Mickey," I told him, drying my hands. "No end-of-the-name things for me."  
I turned to him. "Mickey-chan, why's this place so empty?" Honey asked.  
I raised an eyebrow. I'd never really thought of it as empty. With the girls always making background noise to fill any unnecessary silence. And today it was the Host Club.  
But, ah. Yes. We didn't have any servants.  
I scratched the back of my neck. "Well, this place is just being rented out to us," I explained. "By either the end of this year or the end of summer, me and the girl will be heading back to America. If we were to hire people to work here, they'd just get fired in a few months. So we do everything ourselves."  
"A bunch of underage teenagers are being allowed to live here alone?" Kyoya asked, coming in. "Hardly a good idea."  
I felt my face go red from anger. "What is your PROBLEM?" I asked. "As you can plainly see, we take care of this place quite nicely. And for your information, most of us have lived without adults for most of our lives. We're more responsible than we look. And the girls will be here soon, so I suggest you go."  
The boys who gathered moved out of the room awkwardly, slightly troubled by my tone.  
In less than ten minutes after they left, the girls came back. Each looking better than this morning and had about three bags.  
"Have fun?" I asked Emily, joking in my voice. Emily nodded eagerly.  
"Tons!" she said. I took a couple bags from her arms as we walked inside. "How was your day, mister?"  
I gave a dramatic sigh as I put her bags down in the kitchen. "Hectic," I told her.

Mickey: So, what did you don on your day out with the girls?  
Emily: Oh, you know, we went to the mall, picked up a few outfits.  
Penny: And we apparently kidnapped Haruhi!  
Mickey: Wow.  
Emily: It was fun, Mr. Unintentionally-Attractive.  
Mickey: Excuse me?  
Emily: (laughs) Next time, Girl's Day Out.  
Girls: We'll see you then!


	14. Girl's Day Out

Emily's POV

"We'll be back in a bit, babe!" I called form the driver's seat of Mickey's car. He waved a bit with as smile on his face as I pulled out.  
"Emily!" Coco complained. "Turn the music on!"  
"Music! Music!" Becca and Lizz began chanting. Penny and Coco joined in. Sam rolled her eyes and half heartedly joined in.  
"Alright! Alright! Calm down, girls," I said. "And- cue the music!" I pushed the button turning the radio on. Music blared from the speakers in a language we barely understood, but we jammed out to anyway.  
"So we're kidnapping Haruhi before we hit the mall, right?" Becca and Lizz asked. I nodded.  
"Um, do you know where she lives?" Coco asked. "Not to be a downer."  
I bit my lip. Actually, no...  
"I do!" Penny exclaimed excitedly.  
Sam rolled her blue eyes at Penny. "You know everything," she said. Penny smiled sheepishly and nodded.  
I handed Penny the GPS. "Alright, smarty pants, put in our destination and we're home free," I said.  
A few seconds later, Coco connected the GPS back up so I could see it.  
Every few seconds, she would yell out directions because I would almost miss my turn or was about to turn onto the wrong street.  
"Right there!" Penny said. She had her window rolled down and was pointing to a door. I nodded at her and got out.  
"I'll be right back, stay here," I told the girls. "We don't want to alarm Mr. Fujioka. Or Haruhi." They nodded and I bounded up the stairs to her apartment. Truthfully, it reminded me of the living quarters in the academy.  
I made sure to straiten my hair and make sure my purse was slung over my shoulder okay. Then I knocked on the door and waited patiently as I heard shuffling behind the door.  
The door opened to a man with long, cherry red hair. For a male, apply some make up and he could pull it off well. Of course, his daughter could pull of male so I guess it was hereditary.  
"Who are you?" he asked, a bit grumpily.  
"I'm sorry, sir," I told him, becoming a bit concerned. "Did I wake you? Terribly rude of me. I'm so sorry."  
"Oh, no," he said, stifling a yawn. "You didn't wake me. You just caught me without my make up. I look terrible in the morning without it."  
I smiled at him. "Not true," I said truthfully. "You look perfectly fine without it. But how rude of me. Let me introduce myself. My name is Emily Meyers. I'm a transfer student going to Ouran with Haruhi. Today me and my friends were going to take a trip to the mall and were wanting to take her along."  
"A girl's day out?" he question. I nodded at him, my smile growing. The man in front of me squealed and grabbed me in a hug, shocking me. But seriously, with who I knew, it really shouldn't have. "It'll be so GOOD for my darling Haruhi to hang out with girls her own age instead of those dastardly Host Club boys!"  
I yelped as he dragged me into the apartment. Then I giggled nervously as he began jumping around the house as he went on and on about how happy he was.  
"I couldn't agree more," I said. "The Host Club is most certainly shady indeed. But, um, Mr. Fujioka?"  
"Yes dear?" he asked, coming out of the bathroom wearing a full face of makeup. He definitely looked like a woman now and I had to do a mental double take.  
"Haruhi still has to say yes, you know," I told him.  
"Say yes to what?" asked a very tired Haruhi, coming out of what I glimpsed of her bedroom. She had marks on her face like she'd been sleeping on a book.  
She probably fell asleep studying. Penny did it all the time.  
I smiled brightly at her. "Going to the mall with us of course!" I told her. "Me and the rest of my gang are going out for the day. And you're invited to come along!"  
"You're gang?" Haruhi asked, rubbing her eyes. She yawned.  
"Yeah," I said. "You know. Me, Penny, Coco, Lizz, Becca, and Sam."  
"Wasn't there another one?" she wondered. "What- What was his name? Mickey?"  
I shook my head as her father gasped. "Mickey's staying home so we can have a girl's day," I told her. "he has to fix my car, anyway."  
"Oh? A Mr-Fix-It?" Mr. Fujioka asked. I nodded and winked at him.  
"Yeah. He's a hottie and sweet heart too," I told him.  
"Ooo, sounds like a hunk," Mr. Fujioka said.  
"He is," I replied. "And- he's all mine!" I'll admit it, I squealed. What? TELL me Mickey's not a hunk.  
"Haruhi, go get dressed, dear!" Mr. Fujioka exclaimed. "You don't want to keep these lovely ladies waiting!"  
"Dad, I haven't even eaten yet," Haruhi complained.  
"We haven't either," I told her. Which was only a half lie. None of us had eaten much. "We can pick something up." I took my phone out as I took Haruhi's wrist and dragged her toward her room.  
"Yellow?" Lizz said through the phone.  
"Give that to me!" Sam yelled loud enough I had to hold the phone away from me ear.  
"No way," Lizz said. "I got it fair and square."  
"Lissanna, you're being a child!" Sam screamed. I could imagine Sam having to climb over Becca and Penny to get her phone back from Lizz.  
I rolled my eyes as I shut Haruhi's door. "Lizz, give the phone back to Sam, I called her for a reason," I said.  
"Yeah, yeah. Whatev." she said. "Here."  
"Thank you," Sam snapped sarcastically. "Yes? Emily?"  
"Yeah, we have a MAJOR clothes problem in here," I told her. Haruhi complained as I looked through her closet without her permission. "Nothing seems right. They're kinda- bland."  
"I happen to LIKE my clothes," Haruhi said, still trying to get to stop.  
"Right. I'll be there in thiry," Sam replied as the call was shut off.  
"Thirty minutes?" Haruhi asked hopefully. I gave her a look as I snapped my phone shut.  
"Try thirty seconds," I said.  
I opened Hauhi's door to see Sam standing in the doorway talking to Mr. Fujioka.  
"Hi," Sam said in her deeper voice. She brushed dull black hair out of her face. I happened to know that it wasn't her natural color. Her natural black hair was very shiny, like a jewel. But she dyed it dull for some reason. "Emily called me and asked me to come."  
"Hey Sam," I said.  
"Oh! Then please, come in," Mr. Fujioka said. He looked a bit nervous at her punkish attire. I patted his arm as Sam dragged Haruhi into her room.  
"It's fine," I told him. "Sam only looks tough so she doesn't have to be bothered by boys at school. She's a real softie, and she sure knows fashion."  
A few minutes later, Sam came out of Haruhi's room grumbling under her breath and wiping off her short black dress. She looked up at me with a glare. "Jeez, Emily," she snapped. "'Bland' was putting it lightly. This had gotta be my toughest case yet."  
Mr. Fujioka looked between the two of us.  
I folded my arms. "What do you need?" I asked.  
"Your scarf, your bracelet, Pleasant Pink lip gloss, and Becca's boots," she replied. I nodded. I took off my brown scarf and bracelet and took the lip gloss out of my pocket and handed them to her. Then I went to go retrieve Becca's boots.  
"Be right back!" I called. I stopped by Becca's window and she rolled it down. "Becca, boots."  
"Then what am I going to wear?" she complained.  
"I've got a pair of sandles in the trunk," I told her. "Along with some nail polish, lipstick, and eyeliner. They're all yours. If I get your boots."  
Becca tossed her boots out the window at me and I caught them. "Deal!" she called as I ran back.  
Sam only opened the door a bit as I showed up with the boots. "Thank you," she said snarkily. I knew she really was grateful. To understand Sam, you first had to understand her words.  
"Hey!" Haruhi exclaimed through the door. "Ouch!"  
Sam groaned. "If you BRUSHED your hair," she grumbled.  
"What's she doing in there?" Mr. Fujioka asked nervously.  
I laughed. "Nothing bad, I promise," I told him. "Mr. Fujioka, Sam is a pro when it comes to fashion and music."  
A few minutes later, Sam came out of the room and handed me my lip gloss back. "Done," she said. She folded her arms and stepped aside.  
Haruhi stepped out of her room. As usual, Sam's work was brilliant. A perfect mix of girly and not completely.  
She wore a simple white, long sleeved shirt under a brown vest lined with fur. On her left wrist was my silver bracelet and slung over her right arm was a brown bag. Her jeans were black skinny jeans tucked under Becca's boots. To finish off the look, my brown scarf was tied expertly around the girl's neck while sunglasses pushed Haruhi's bangs out of her face and her lips was tinted just slightly pinker.  
Mr. Fujioka's jaw dropped. "You truly are marvelous, dear," he told Sam.  
Sam just nodded and began walking out. "I'll be in the car," she muttered.  
"And that's our cue to go," I said. I grabbed Haruhi's hand and dragged her off.  
I pushed Haruhi in front of me as I caught up with Sam on the stairs. I slung my arm over her shoulders.  
"You know that person with the red hair you just met?" I asked her.  
Sam nodded. "Yeah," she said.  
I leaned closer so I could whisper in her ear. "That was Haruhi's dad," I whispered. I unhooked my arm from Sam and continued. When I turned back, Sam was still frozen in her place.  
"Sam! Come on!" Coco called, waving from the open part on the roof. Sam snapped out of her trance and headed for the car. She slid into the spot by Coco in the second row of seats.  
When I got in the driver's seat, Haruhi was in the passenger seat.  
I smirked at her. "Buckle up," I said, pushing the button to lock the car doors. Haruhi gulped. I put my own seat belt on and started the car.  
NO, we did NOT go faster than the speed limit, except on a couple streets. Just to freak Haruhi out.  
"Emily!" Haruhi exclaimed, her knuckles white from clenching the arm rests tightly. "Please don't do that again!" I laughed as I pulled into a parking space.  
"Fine," I said. "Would you rather I drove at a snail's pace?"  
"It's better than getting a heart attack from going to fast," she said. I shook my head in amusement.  
"Come on, ladies!" I exclaimed, stepping out into the sunlight. "It's mall time!" Just as she stepped out, Haruhi's stomach rumbled. Everyone looked at her and she blushed slightly, embarrassed.  
We broke out laughing.  
"Looks like our first stop is the food court," Becca said. She and Lizz walked ahead of us, their arms intertwined. They had their heads close together like they were a couple whispering to each other. Coco had managed to climb up onto Sam's back while they were both walking, and Sam didn't complain. Penny took her glasses off and cleaned them, making sure that her hair was in the way of her face so no one could see it. She and Haruhi talked about classes. Penny was in class 2-B, while Haruhi was in 1-A, but it didn't matter to them, they were both smartie pants.  
I just stood in the back ground, watching everyone.  
"Eee!" Becca and Lizz squealed as soon as they entered through the spinning doors of the mall. They turned to each other and held each other's hands as they jumped up and down. "Totally our element!"  
They ran off to the nearest store before they could be stopped. Haruhi walked up next to me. "I thought you said Sam was the expert on fashion," she said in a questioning voice.  
I nodded thoughtfully. "Sam is a natural," I said. "She picks out all her outfits at random. But she does have a good eye when picking out the outfits for others. Lizz and Becca are different. Lizz espeshily. She and Becca have a certain type of fashion they like to use. Flashy, and making them out there. Things that will make them get noticed."  
Haruhi nodded as we followed the others to the store. "They seem good at it," she noted. I smiled at her.  
"They are," I told her.  
"Thank you!" Becca and Lizz said from behind us, causing Haruhi to jump. It didn't faze me, even though I hadn't noticed when they got behind us. They slung their arms around our shoulders.  
"Another part of our job," Lizz said sneakily.  
"Is defining your types," Becca finished in the same kind of voice.  
"Types?" Haruhi asked.  
"Take a good look a Coco for example," Lizz told her.  
"What do you see?" asked Becca. "What does she normally wear?"  
"I've always seen her in that jacket and boots," Haruhi noted. "Any special significance to that?"  
Lizz and Becca nodded. "Yes, but continue," they said.  
Haruhi sighed and closed her eyes for a moment before opening them again. "Well, Coco is usually in jean, or bottoms made of jean material," she said. "I don't ever notice her wearing any jewelry, and her shirts always fit loosely. And at school she fidgets like she's uncomfortable in the uniform like it's too tight."  
I groaned lightly and nodded. "They are," I told her. "You try wearing one all day, five days a week. Not. Fun."  
"And I knew there was a reason I chose wear my own clothes instead of the girl's uniform," Haruhi joked. We laughed with her.  
"Well, you got all of Coco's outer details," Becca said.  
"So we'll tell you our classifications," Lizz said.  
"Coco has 'convenient' type," Becca told her.  
"Looks a lot like casual, but is much more," Lizz explained. "Her jacket is always worn in her normal clothes because of it's 'bigger than they appear' pockets."  
"The boots are because they can't fall off her feet so easily," Becca said. "The jeans because of pockets as well."  
"The loose shirt because it's easy to move about in," they said together. "She's an athlete. Restricted movement is bad."  
"So what about the others?" Haruhi asked. Becca and Lizz smiled deviously.  
"Penny-" Becca said.  
"School girl." Lizz said this while leaning on a display and counting off with her fingers.  
"Emily-"  
"Casual."  
"Sam-"  
"Gothic hottie."  
"Mickey-"  
"Unintentionally attractive."  
"Lizz-"  
"Flashy, I'll admit it."  
"Me-"  
"Hmm, bit more of a royal."  
"Why, thank you. Anyone we're missing?" Becca asked.  
"The Host Club," Lizz said.  
"Right. So, Haruhi?"  
"Conviniant."  
"Tamaki?"  
"Royal."  
"Darn. Kyoya?"  
"Definitely conviniant."  
"Kaoru and Hikaru?"  
"Unintentionally attractive."  
"Ooo, definitely. Mori?"  
"Well, his color scheme is gothic hottie most of the time, but he could also be unintentionally attractive."  
"Jeez, he IS hard. Without him talking and all. So, Honey?"  
"Cutie."  
They turned to us and smiled big smiles. "That's everyone!" they exclaimed.  
Haruhi's jaw dropped. "They classify people just as easy as breathing," she said.  
I shook my head. "In case you didn't notice, it wasn't just style, they also took personalities as a factor as well," I explained as the two girls walked off to go bye some outfits they'd found. "They can usually just judge someone by how they look because your style is defined by your personality."  
Haruhi looked confused and I laughed as I draped my arm over her shoulder. The others were beginning to leave the store and head to the food mart.  
"You'll understand in time," I told her. "And while it may not matter much whether you're boy or girl, style still gives a glimpse into who you are. That's why I consider Sam and the twins very valuable friends."  
By the end of the day, I'd bought Haruhi five new outfits. She didn't want ANY because she didn't have the money, but it was my treat to her, and if a girl left the mall without at least five new outfits, it was like breaking some unspoken rule.  
By the end of THAT little lecture, Haruhi had relented. Probably because we were being annoying in her oh so dull sighted eyes.  
I drove us home after dropping Haruhi off at her apartment. It was almost dark by the time I pulled up to the house. Mickey was waiting for us.  
"Have fun?" Mickey asked me, joking in his voice. I nodded eagerly.  
"Tons!" I said. He took a couple bags from my very full arms as we walked inside. "How was your day, mister?"  
He gave a dramatic sigh as he put my bags down in the kitchen. "Hectic," he told me.  
I giggled. While fun, so had mine.  
I kissed his cheek. "You're the sweetest boyfriend ever, have I ever told you that?" I questioned. I yawned.  
"You just did now," he said. "And you look even more exhausted. You should go to bed."  
I nodded and patted his arm. "Thanks, hon," I told him. I dragged myself up to my room and fell down on my bed, fully clothed.  
Then suddenly, my phone started vibrating and playing a beeping tune it did when it didn't recognize the number.  
I groaned as I took the phone out of my butt pocket. I gaped when I saw the number.

 **#: Hello Emily.**

That was all it said, but it chilled my bones.

 **Emily: How did you get this number?** **  
#: I have my ways.  
** **Emily: Tell me what you want. You KNOW you're not supposed to contact me.** **  
#: I just heard from a wee birdy that you invited Haruhi on a girl's day out.  
** **Emily: And?** **  
#: And I want to know how it went!  
** **Emily: Gesh. You're just as bossy as you were four years ago.** **  
#: I am not!  
** **Emily: Don't deny it! But it went well. The girl's day.** ****

 **Emily: ...  
Emily: You already knew that though, didn't you?** **  
#: What do you mean?"  
** **Emily: You followed us, didn't you?!** **  
#: No! I would never do that!  
** **Emily: You're a complete stalker, and I know that for a fact.** **  
#: I am no such thing! I was just looking out for you!  
** **Emily: Idiot. You knew perfectly well I could take care of myself.** **  
#: 3-(  
** **Emily: You big baby.** ****

 **Emily: Just as I thought.  
Emily: It's late, I'm tired, this is STILL illegal, so I'm going to turn my phone off.** **  
#: Wait!  
** **Emily: Yes?** **  
#: Only one more year, right?  
** **Emily: Yes. One more year, and I'm leaving the agency. I promised, and you know I NEVER break my promises.** **  
#: Just one last question. Do you really love Mickey?  
** **Emily: Without a doubt. Just like I know who EXACTLY your heart lies with.** **  
#: My heart doesn't lie with anyone!  
** **Emily: :) Liar.  
Emily: Night. Bastard.** **  
#: Not nice.  
** **Emily: No one ever said I was.** **  
#: Sweet dreams, filled with me of course.  
** **Emily: In YOUR dreams.**

After that, I sent a picture of Haruhi in her outfit I snagged while she was laughing with Penny in a store. Then I turned my phone off and fell asleep.

Lizz: That was fun, but we need something more- extravagant.  
Becca: Tots. What are you thinking?  
Lizz: Well...  
Coco: You two are a couple of thieves! I knew it!  
Lizz + Becca: It was for Sam!  
Penny: You two are naughty, in more ways than one.  
Lizz + Becca: Your one to talk. It's always the quiet ones who are the naughtiest.  
Emily: Really, you two?  
Lizz + Becca: Next time, Because We Can! We'll see you next time!

Haruhi's outfit- image...


	15. Because We Can

Lizz's POV

"It's Monday, it's Monday!" me and Becca sang while we danced around the table at breakfast. Emily rolled her eyes at our antics as she dished us food.  
"Guys, I know it can get boring during the weekend, but it's Monday and not even noon yet. What's got you so excited?" she questioned.  
We leaned forward and zipped our lips playfully. "Not telling!" we said. We sat down in our seats and began eating.  
It wasn't actually SCHOOL we were looking forward to. But what happened AFTER school.  
Me and Becca were going to skip going to the Hostesses, for the plain purpose of feeling like it. And we had somewhere else we wanted to be. But we weren't telling Emily that!  
"Come on, Coco," came Sam's exasperated voice.  
"I don't want to!" Coco replied, very childishly and in a tired voice. "I'm still tired!"  
"Then you shouldn't have stayed up past midnight watching movies, midget," Mickey said, coming in behind the two girls.  
Coco glared at the older male. "You wanna fight?" she asked, immediately perking up and losing all her sleepiness.  
Mickey held up his hands in surrender. "I'm good," he told her.  
"Chicken," Coco chided as Sam handed her a cup of hot chocolate.  
Mickey placed a hand over his heart and bowed. "Of the wrath of Coco, yes. Yes I am."  
Penny ran into the kitchen in a rush. "Emily, can you please help me?" she asked, gesturing to her hair. "I have to go right to the library after school, so I'll probably have to leave right after the club today. Maybe a little before just so I get there before it closes."  
Emily nodded as Penny sat down. Then she began braiding Penny's hair so it was out of her face. "Fine," Emily told Penny. "But just remember to be home before seven."  
Penny rolled her eyes. "I'm not a child," she complained.  
Emily hugged her from behind. "In this setting, I was made Mother."  
"Which makes Mickey Father," Becca began.  
"You their loving daughter," I continued.  
"Me and Lizz your aunties,"Becca said.  
"And Coco Petra Pan," I said with a cocky smile on my face.  
"How the- Who the hell is Petra Pan?" Coco sputtered.  
"The genderbent version of Peter Pan, duh," me and Becca said as one. "And you're her because you're gonna be little forever!"  
That earned both of us a smack on the back of our heads from the small girl.  
"And who's Sam then?" Coco asked.  
Me and Becca looked at each other and smile. "Tinker Bell," we answered.  
"Whatever," Coc said. "Isn't it time we got to school?"  
"Sure is," Emily said. I grabbed the hat that was sitting on the table before me and Becca made our exit. "What's the hat for?" Emily asked as we got in the limo.  
I smiled at her a very 'innocent' grin. "Oh, just for my after school outfit," I told her.  
Emily held up her hand to stop me from talking. "I REALLY don't want to hear any more," she said.  
I settled back into Becca as we drove off to school.  
We both anxiously awaited the end of the day in class B-1. Boring. As. Hell.  
Fifteen minutes before the end of class, the old teacher was still droning on and on, but no one was listening anymore.  
I sighed loudly. He didn't even pause. "Think he'd notice if we ditched?" I asked Becca.  
"Probably not," she replied. We quickly gathered our books and dashed out of the class.  
We giggled like children as we made our way to Music Room #3.  
"Come on," Becca said, dragging me over to the willowy curtain. We pulled it aside and there stood many classical instruments.  
"Not to be a downer," I said. "But how we gonna get it to the club room?"  
Becca pointed to the legs of the piano. "Wheels, see?" she said.  
We both got behind it and began pushing it. We had to stop so we could open the other door, but we pretty much got the piano to the Hostesses without a problem.  
"Getting it on the stage will be a bit harder," Becca said thoughtfully.  
"Ramp!" I exclaimed. There were a few hard boards in the back room we could use, so we did. We brought that up front and set it against the stairs. Then, with a few exclamations, we began rolling it up.  
"Careful, Lizz! That was my foot!"  
"Sorry! Ooo, that didn't sound good."  
"Up!"  
"It's sliding!"  
"Ah!"  
"Almost there, almost there."  
"It's good! It's good!"  
Both of us were breathing heavily as we finally pushed the piano into the spot we needed it. We both sat with our backs against the piano.  
"We should head back," Becca said. I nodded and we helped each other stand.  
We walked hand in hand, down the empty halls and back to the music room. We silently took our clothes out of our bags and walked into the changing room.  
When we exited, I wore a short jean skirt with a aqua and white plaid button shirt tucked in it. My dark hair was in pig tails under my cowgirl hat, and I had my high heeled cowgirl boots on.  
Becca herself wore some dark blue skinny jeans under her lighter colored cowgirl boots. She wore a baggy green shirt that had holes over the shoulders, and her strawberry blonde hair was strait under her simple straw sun hat save for a braid on the side of her head.  
I smiled at my companion and gave her a high five. "We're smexy," I told her, smiling and wrinkling my nose playfully.  
"Of course we are," Becca said as we took seats on the couch where Hikaru and Kaoru usually sat.  
We each took positions on either side of the couch. Mine revealed a bit more than necessary. But hey, where's the fun in hiding everything? Our feet touched just slightly on the couch, and we waited in comfortable silence.  
We didn't have to wait long for the bell for the end of the day to come, and only a few short minutes later for the voices of the Host Club.  
"Have you found anything on her yet?" asked Tamaki's voice as the door opened.  
Then Kyoya sighed. "Not yet, Tamaki," he said. "There are no records of there EVER being an Eternity Light at this school."  
Eternity, eh? Odd name. But I have no room to complain. I mean, who names their kid Lissanna?  
They all stopped their conversations when they saw us, lounging on a sofa.  
"Welcome," me and Becca said, smiles on our faces.  
Tamaki was pointing to me, then to Becca, then repeating the process. All with a look of confused horror on his face. "What are you two doing here?" he questioned.  
I sighed dramatically. "Well, we made Hikaru and Kaoru miss a meeting of the Host Club," I said.  
"So we're here instead of at the Hostesses to make up for it," Becca finished.  
"So we have to deal with them two days a week this week?" Kyoya asked irritably as he pushed up his glasses. He sighed.  
"Oh, come on Kyoya," the twins said. "They're not THAT bad."  
Tamaki gasped. "They're Hostesses!" he exclaimed.  
Haruhi shrugged. "They're not that bad," she told him. Tamaki looked hurt as he went into a corner and began eating RAMEN of all things.  
"Daddy was just trying to keep his little girl away from those hooligans," he said, shoveling stuff into his mouth.  
"And I though Mickey was a sloppy eater," me and Becca said.  
Honey began jumping up and down. "Tama-chan!" he exclaimed. "The girls will be arriving soon!"  
Tamaki jumped to his feet, emo corner facade all but gone. He looked like his type- princely.  
"We can not let this unexpected arrival of these girls deter us from our mission, men!" he exclaimed. "They'll be treated just like any other guest!"  
"Why, thank you sir," we told him. Then the other girls began filling in. Me and Becca stay right where we were, so the twins either had to sit on the other sides of us, or on the other couch.  
They chose the other couch. "So, how did you even get here early?" Hikaru asked.  
"We ditched class," I said simply.  
"It was boring, and Lizz couldn't take anymore," Becca said.  
"What?" I said defensively. "Can I help it if I like my theater class more than literature?"  
"With that teacher, I can see your point," Becca told me, leaning forward and placing her chin in her hand with her elbow on her knee.  
"So," I said to the twins. "How's it going? How's your day?"  
"Um," Kaoru said. Then he started fidgeting uncertainly.  
"Kaoru?" Hikaru asked worriedly, taking his brother's chin and turned Kaoru toward him. "You don't have to be embarrassed. These girls are friends."  
"But I AM," Kaoru said, tears welling up in eyes. He began fidgeting even more. His voice was a bit whiny, but the kind that clutches at any normal girl's heart and makes them feel for the boy.  
The kind that made the girl want to go over and kiss him all better.  
Okay, so yes, I'm not normal, nor have I ever did claim to be. But I wanted to go over and kiss him SO BAD. So bad I began fidgeting as well, and slight whining noises were coming out of my mouth.  
"Lizz?" Becca asked me, genuinely concerned. "Is everything okay?"  
I nodded. "I'm fine," I said, keeping my head down. I looked up and I could see a fake tear slip down Kaoru's cheek. I bit the inside of mine. Becca looked from me to the boy in front of me.  
"Ah," she said. She scooted closer to me and pulled me close. "I know your not, Lizz," Becca cooed in my ear. "It's been bothering you all day, hasn't it?"  
"B-Becca!" I exclaimed. "Please don't mention it!"  
"Oh, but you were asking these boys about their day," she said, pulling away a bit and looking me in the eyes. "Isn't it only right that you tell them about yours? If you're backing out, you should at least tell them sorry for bringing up painful memories."  
I nodded, now getting what she was playing at. We got up and walked around either side of the table. The twins broke apart bit as we got on the other side. Becca sat on Hikaru's lap, while I went and straddled Kaoru. I placed my hands on his shoulders and leaned forward so I could whisper in his ear.  
"I'm sorry," I said teasingly. "I didn't mean to upset you. Kaoru." I leaned back a bit so I could look at his face. His adorably cute face. I kept my voice low. "Kaoru," I said. The said boy was blushing madly. "Can you ever forgive me?"  
"Um, um," he stuttered. Then I leaned down and kissed his cheek.  
I got off of him and took my hat off. I placed it on his head. Becca stood as well and placed her hat on Hikaru's head. She winked at him.  
"We'll see you later, boys," she said. We took each other's hands and walked out of the room, all eyes on us.  
"Did you see that?!" I squealed as soon as we shut the doors behind us. "Hikaru blushed when you winked at him!"  
"And Kaoru was blushing like mad while you were on him!" Becca exclaimed. She grabbed my other hand.  
"It was so cute!" we both squealed.  
"But I can hardly blame Kaoru," Becca said. "With you in that skirt and straddling him like that just made it get shorter."  
I giggled and covered my mouth with one of my hands. "What can I say?" I asked. "I'm a naughty girl." The doors opened again and a girl with a board look on her face and brown hair stepped out.  
Me and Becca stepped aside. "It's you two," she said.  
"What about us?" we asked.  
The brown haired girl ran a hand through her hair. "Geez, can you be that dense?" she asked. "The fangirl club for those two will be out for your skin for that little performance you put on."  
"Thanks for the heads up," we said uncertainly.  
"Just watch your bloody backs," she said, stalking off.  
She disappeared around a corner and I leaned into Becca. "Is it just me," I asked, "or does she seem oddly familiar?"  
Becca nodded. "I THINK that's because she might be Kadance Wilson."  
"We need to tell Emily," we both said as one.

Penny: How was PE?  
Coco: Good, but it was after school that had all the action.  
Lizz: You got some Honey, didn't cha?  
Coco: I-It's none of your business!  
Becca: She did! Oh my! she did!  
Coco: Shut up!  
Becca + Lizz: You like Honey, you like Honey, you like Honey!  
Coco: SHUT UP!  
Emily: (sighs) Next time-  
Coco: Small Body, Big Ideas.  
All: We'll see you then!

A/N: Oh, I forgot to mention! I don't own the picture I used in the last chapter!


	16. Small Body, Big Ideas

Penny's POV

I waved to Emily as I rolled away from the school.  
Even if I was more of a brainiac and didn't much like physical labor of working out like Coco, I could roller blade really well.  
I rolled through the streets on the way to the library. Then I checked my watch.  
"I won't make it!" I exclaimed. I groaned. Then I spotted a park near by. I knew that if I entered here, I MIGHT just make it to the other side and the library before it closed for the day.  
I took off into the park, dodging people and animals that were also on the path.  
And then someone had left a banana peal in the middle of the path, and I of course I HAD to slip on it.  
"Ah!" I said, not being able to control my roller blades. "Watch out!" The boy I had shouted at looked up as I neared him. But it was too late for him to move as I crashed into him.  
I groaned as I tried to sit up, holding my head. Boy, was I glad that I wore a helmet. I looked over to the boy on the ground beside me.  
"Sorry," I told him.  
"It's fine," he said. He reached up to his face, then he dropped to his hands and knees. I noticed a pair of thin rimmed glasses by my wheels and picked them up. Then I tapped the boy on his shoulder.  
"Are- Are these what you're looking for?" I asked. He nodded and took the glasses from me.  
"Thank you," he said. When he slipped them on, I gasped.  
"K-Kyoya?" I squeaked. If my face hadn't already been red from the rush I'd just gotten, I'm sure it would have gotten there. "I'm sorry! I'm so, so sorry for knocking you over!"  
I began hurriedly trying to get up, but with my skates on, I fell down more than once.  
Kyoya reached out a hand to help me up. I cautiously took it. He pulled me to my feet and I fell into him again. This time he caught me and righted me. I shifted on my feet self consciously.  
"T-T-Thank you, Kyoya," I stuttered, brushing a stray piece of hair behind my ear. I cleared mt throat. "Well, um, uh, I- I've got to go. I have books that need returned to the library." I went to go resituate my bag on my shoulder when I realized it wasn't there. I looked around me and Kyoya, panicked. "Oh no!" I exclaimed.  
I couldn't find it!  
And then I spotted it. It was hanging precariously above the water in the near by fountain.  
"My library books!" I exclaimed. "My laptop!" I quickly began running over to the fountain while trying to take my skates off. I managed to slip my left on off as i got over to the fountain. I was trying to get the other off when I heard a splash in the water.  
I shot around to see if it had been my stuff, but it was Kyoya. He was wading through the water and to my bag. He carefully took it off from where it hung and began making his way back over to me.  
He handed me my completely dry bag and I hugged it to my chest. Then I turned to Kyoya and smiled gratefully.  
"Thank you," I told him. I held up my bag. "I don't think people would have been very happy with me if I ruined anything in here."  
"Glad I could be of service," Kyoya said, his face showing no emotion as he attempted to wring out the part of his shirt that got wet. I pulled a pair of yellow converse out of my bag and slipped them on, then I pulled the strap of my bag over my head.  
I stood and picked up my skates. I felt like I needed to say something, but I wasn't exactly sure WHAT. I bite my bottom lip. "Well- Uh, i-it was n-nice to see you," I said, stuttering a bit. "But, um, well, I-I've got to go. You know, library closing in a few minutes. I'll see you at school, Kyoya. And, um, thanks again. For everything."  
I briskly turned away, blushing madly because I had been making SUCH a fool of myself. I heard footsteps walking behind me and I turned slightly. Kyoya began walking by my side.  
"Mind if I walk with you?" he asked.  
"N-No!" I said, perhaps a little too quickly. I blushed and looked down at my feet. "S-Sorry, Kyoya." Kyoya just slightly raised and eyebrow and smirked. "I- I just m-meant i-if you w-wanted too..." I bit my lip as I just continued to blush more.  
"If you don't want me to, just say so Miss Rogers," Kyoya said simply.  
"N-No, it's fine," I told him. "I- I've just never been- What I mean to say is-" I bowed my head out of embarrassment. "I'm no good at talking to people," I muttered. I folded my arms and it made me feel smaller. "I- I can't e-even talk to my friends w-w-without st-stuttering."  
"Well, then don't talk," Kyoya said. "We'll just walk." I nodded and we walked in silence.  
It was a comfortable silence, though.  
When we reached the large library, Kyoya held open the grand doors for me. I gave him a smile and a nod as I blushed once again. He really WAS a gentleman.  
'What kind of books do you enjoy?" Kyoya asked as we made our way over to the book drop. I slipped a book in and bushed as I mumbled my answer. "Sorry?" he said, obviously not hearing me.  
I pulled another book out of my bag and handed it to him. "I- I'm just a sucker for those old western romances," I said, a little giddily. Even though I was blushing crazily once again. "That one's my favorite. A girl from the city doesn't want to marry the man her father wants her too, so she runs away to the west. Then she marries a man with two children out of connivance, but then they eventually fall in love. It's all very romantic."  
Kyoya chuckled as he handed me the book and I slid it down the book drop. I smiled sadly as I watched it slid down.  
"Sadly, I've never been able to find it in a store," I said. I slid my final book down the book drop and put my skates in my bag before I turned to Kyoya. "What about you?" I asked. "What kind of books do you like?"  
We moved out of the way so the next people in line could go.  
"I'm more into mysteries myself," he said, picking up a random book off a shelf. I giggled.  
"Unless there's a super surprise ending, I've always thought they were boring," I told him. "I mean, I've always been able to figure out who the kidnapper or the killer or the bad guy is before the end."  
Kyoya placed the book back and nodded, as if he'd just gotten the answer he'd been waiting for. Then he stopped and sniffed.  
"What is it?" I asked, taking a piece of copper hair and gently tugging on it.  
"Do you smell- peaches?" he questioned. I blushed and looked down once again.  
"Oh, um, that," I stuttered. "T-That's my shampoo. I- I use peach smelling shampoo. I- It's m-my favorite."  
"It smells nice," he said. "Natural." I nodded slightly.  
"Th-That's because Becca home makes it," I explained. Then I perked up a bit. "Speaking of which, she asked me to get her book of recipes she put on hold."  
I walked away from Kyoya and to where the holds were held.  
"Jojima, Jonouchi. Ah! Johnson!" I exclaimed, reaching for the book. I skipped with the book over to the self check out and proceeded to do so.  
Kyoya came back over to me. "May I ask you something?" he wondered.  
I nodded slightly. "G-Go ahead," I said.  
"Would you, perhaps, like to accompany me for a drink?" he asked. My jaw dropped.  
"R-Really?!" I asked. Kyoya nodded. I nodded quickly. "I- I mean- What I wanted to say- Oh bother." I held the sides of my head for a moment and took a deep breath before dropping my hands and looking at Kyoya. I smiled sweetly at him. "Yes, thank you. I'd- I'd really like that."  
Kyoya gave me a small smile in return. "I'll meet you after school then tomorrow," he said. He turned and gave a back handed wave as he left. I was left there, still in slight shock.  
Did Kyoya- just ask me out on a date?  
I gripped my hair worriedly. "What am I going to do?!" I whispered.

Penny: Emily! You're scaring him!  
Emily: So what? He deserved it.  
Penny: You're not my actual mother, you don't have to do that.  
Lizz: Jeez, this place is messy.  
Becca: How can girls stand to come here everyday?  
Mickey: Next time, Host Club Cleanup.  
Sam + Coco: We'll see you there!


	17. Copper Colored Peaches

Penny's POV

I waved to Emily as I rolled away from the school.  
Even if I was more of a brainiac and didn't much like physical labor of working out like Coco, I could roller blade really well.  
I rolled through the streets on the way to the library. Then I checked my watch.  
"I won't make it!" I exclaimed. I groaned. Then I spotted a park near by. I knew that if I entered here, I MIGHT just make it to the other side and the library before it closed for the day.  
I took off into the park, dodging people and animals that were also on the path.  
And then someone had left a banana peal in the middle of the path, and I of course I HAD to slip on it.  
"Ah!" I said, not being able to control my roller blades. "Watch out!" The boy I had shouted at looked up as I neared him. But it was too late for him to move as I crashed into him.  
I groaned as I tried to sit up, holding my head. Boy, was I glad that I wore a helmet. I looked over to the boy on the ground beside me.  
"Sorry," I told him.  
"It's fine," he said. He reached up to his face, then he dropped to his hands and knees. I noticed a pair of thin rimmed glasses by my wheels and picked them up. Then I tapped the boy on his shoulder.  
"Are- Are these what you're looking for?" I asked. He nodded and took the glasses from me.  
"Thank you," he said. When he slipped them on, I gasped.  
"K-Kyoya?" I squeaked. If my face hadn't already been red from the rush I'd just gotten, I'm sure it would have gotten there. "I'm sorry! I'm so, so sorry for knocking you over!"  
I began hurriedly trying to get up, but with my skates on, I fell down more than once.  
Kyoya reached out a hand to help me up. I cautiously took it. He pulled me to my feet and I fell into him again. This time he caught me and righted me. I shifted on my feet self consciously.  
"T-T-Thank you, Kyoya," I stuttered, brushing a stray piece of hair behind my ear. I cleared mt throat. "Well, um, uh, I- I've got to go. I have books that need returned to the library." I went to go resituate my bag on my shoulder when I realized it wasn't there. I looked around me and Kyoya, panicked. "Oh no!" I exclaimed.  
I couldn't find it!  
And then I spotted it. It was hanging precariously above the water in the near by fountain.  
"My library books!" I exclaimed. "My laptop!" I quickly began running over to the fountain while trying to take my skates off. I managed to slip my left on off as i got over to the fountain. I was trying to get the other off when I heard a splash in the water.  
I shot around to see if it had been my stuff, but it was Kyoya. He was wading through the water and to my bag. He carefully took it off from where it hung and began making his way back over to me.  
He handed me my completely dry bag and I hugged it to my chest. Then I turned to Kyoya and smiled gratefully.  
"Thank you," I told him. I held up my bag. "I don't think people would have been very happy with me if I ruined anything in here."  
"Glad I could be of service," Kyoya said, his face showing no emotion as he attempted to wring out the part of his shirt that got wet. I pulled a pair of yellow converse out of my bag and slipped them on, then I pulled the strap of my bag over my head.  
I stood and picked up my skates. I felt like I needed to say something, but I wasn't exactly sure WHAT. I bite my bottom lip. "Well- Uh, i-it was n-nice to see you," I said, stuttering a bit. "But, um, well, I-I've got to go. You know, library closing in a few minutes. I'll see you at school, Kyoya. And, um, thanks again. For everything."  
I briskly turned away, blushing madly because I had been making SUCH a fool of myself. I heard footsteps walking behind me and I turned slightly. Kyoya began walking by my side.  
"Mind if I walk with you?" he asked.  
"N-No!" I said, perhaps a little too quickly. I blushed and looked down at my feet. "S-Sorry, Kyoya." Kyoya just slightly raised and eyebrow and smirked. "I- I just m-meant i-if you w-wanted too..." I bit my lip as I just continued to blush more.  
"If you don't want me to, just say so Miss Rogers," Kyoya said simply.  
"N-No, it's fine," I told him. "I- I've just never been- What I mean to say is-" I bowed my head out of embarrassment. "I'm no good at talking to people," I muttered. I folded my arms and it made me feel smaller. "I- I can't e-even talk to my friends w-w-without st-stuttering."  
"Well, then don't talk," Kyoya said. "We'll just walk." I nodded and we walked in silence.  
It was a comfortable silence, though.  
When we reached the large library, Kyoya held open the grand doors for me. I gave him a smile and a nod as I blushed once again. He really WAS a gentleman.  
'What kind of books do you enjoy?" Kyoya asked as we made our way over to the book drop. I slipped a book in and bushed as I mumbled my answer. "Sorry?" he said, obviously not hearing me.  
I pulled another book out of my bag and handed it to him. "I- I'm just a sucker for those old western romances," I said, a little giddily. Even though I was blushing crazily once again. "That one's my favorite. A girl from the city doesn't want to marry the man her father wants her too, so she runs away to the west. Then she marries a man with two children out of connivance, but then they eventually fall in love. It's all very romantic."  
Kyoya chuckled as he handed me the book and I slid it down the book drop. I smiled sadly as I watched it slid down.  
"Sadly, I've never been able to find it in a store," I said. I slid my final book down the book drop and put my skates in my bag before I turned to Kyoya. "What about you?" I asked. "What kind of books do you like?"  
We moved out of the way so the next people in line could go.  
"I'm more into mysteries myself," he said, picking up a random book off a shelf. I giggled.  
"Unless there's a super surprise ending, I've always thought they were boring," I told him. "I mean, I've always been able to figure out who the kidnapper or the killer or the bad guy is before the end."  
Kyoya placed the book back and nodded, as if he'd just gotten the answer he'd been waiting for. Then he stopped and sniffed.  
"What is it?" I asked, taking a piece of copper hair and gently tugging on it.  
"Do you smell- peaches?" he questioned. I blushed and looked down once again.  
"Oh, um, that," I stuttered. "T-That's my shampoo. I- I use peach smelling shampoo. I- It's m-my favorite."  
"It smells nice," he said. "Natural." I nodded slightly.  
"Th-That's because Becca home makes it," I explained. Then I perked up a bit. "Speaking of which, she asked me to get her book of recipes she put on hold."  
I walked away from Kyoya and to where the holds were held.  
"Jojima, Jonouchi. Ah! Johnson!" I exclaimed, reaching for the book. I skipped with the book over to the self check out and proceeded to do so.  
Kyoya came back over to me. "May I ask you something?" he wondered.  
I nodded slightly. "G-Go ahead," I said.  
"Would you, perhaps, like to accompany me for a drink?" he asked. My jaw dropped.  
"R-Really?!" I asked. Kyoya nodded. I nodded quickly. "I- I mean- What I wanted to say- Oh bother." I held the sides of my head for a moment and took a deep breath before dropping my hands and looking at Kyoya. I smiled sweetly at him. "Yes, thank you. I'd- I'd really like that."  
Kyoya gave me a small smile in return. "I'll meet you after school then tomorrow," he said. He turned and gave a back handed wave as he left. I was left there, still in slight shock.  
Did Kyoya- just ask me out on a date?  
I gripped my hair worriedly. "What am I going to do?!" I whispered.

Penny: Emily! You're scaring him!  
Emily: So what? He deserved it.  
Penny: You're not my actual mother, you don't have to do that.  
Lizz: Jeez, this place is messy.  
Becca: How can girls stand to come here everyday?  
Mickey: Next time, Host Club Cleanup.  
Sam + Coco: We'll see you there!


	18. Host Club Cleanup

Emily's POV

I stood in front of my mirror, leaning forward as I applied some lips gloss.  
It was truly hard to find ANYTHING that went well with my skin tone and hair color. Some pink was too much pink in color, all colors of brown were hideous, I wasn't particularly into those odd shades, and red was to vibrant in comparison to my pale skin.  
Pleasant Pink was THE only lipstick I could wear and still look semi normal.  
A knock came at the door just as I was sticking my lipstick back in my pocket. Club activities were over for today, and today everyone had actually come.  
Turns out that Becca and Lizz were at the Host Cub yesterday.  
You can be sure I gave them hell for that.  
"Come in!" I called. I turned and the door cautiously opened to reveal Penny. "Penny! You okay?" I asked at her worried and anxious expression.  
Penny began pulling on a lock of her hair. "I- um, I need you help," she said quietly.  
"With what?" I asked. She answered, but it was so low, even my super sharp hearing couldn't catch it. "What was that?"  
"I have a date," she said only a little bit louder.  
"Penny!" I exclaimed happily. "You do? Oh, I'm so happy! You finally have a date!" I hugged her tightly.  
"It's not actually a date!" Penny exclaimed. "He just asked me to accompany him for a drink after school today. That's all."  
I gave her a gentle smile. "And you don't know what to wear?" I guessed. Penny held her hands to her chest and shook her head.  
"I would have gone to Lizz and Becca, but their style is too flashy for me," she said hurriedly. "And Sam's is too dark. You're the only one I could go to!"  
I took her arm and began leading her to the changing room where we had multiple outfits stored for each of us in case we wanted another outfit change.  
"Well, I'll have you looking your cutest, don't you worry," I promised.  
When we came back out, Penny was wearing a simple pink and white school girl outfit where the shirt's sleeves went just below her shoulders, not outside her comfort zone. She wore knee high socks and cute little black flats, she had on a small silver cross necklace, and just the tips of her hair curled slightly. She needed no make up to look cute.  
Penny fidgeted with her necklace as the rest of us followed her.  
She was leading the way to her mysterious date. She'd refused to tell us WHO it was, so we would just have to find out ourselves.  
"What are we doing here?" Coco asked, spotting the sign we'd all seen.  
Penny smiled sheepishly. "He's most likely still going to be here," she said, knocking on the door and opening it at the same time.  
"Still?!" we all whispered.  
"Wait, wait, how did you get a HOST to ask you out?" Sam questioned. Penny didn't answer. She was already inside the room.  
All eyes of the hosts were on her as I opened the door wider so the rest of us could step in.  
"W-What are you all doing here?" Tamaki asked, hiding behind Kyoya.  
Penny bit her lip and fiddled with her fingers as she looked to the ground. "Y-You d-didn't specify where t-to meet y-you, s-so I-I thought that I'd j-just m-meet you here," she said, her stutter kicking in on overdrive.  
"Who're you talking to?" the twins asked.  
Penny looked up and blushed. I could tell she'd made eye contact with someone, but I couldn't tell who exactly who it was.  
Then Kyoya smiled slightly and bowed his head. "My apologizes Miss Roggers," he said. Everyone's jaw dropped. Well, except Kyoya's and Penny's.  
"KYOYA?!" we all exclaimed.  
"You asked my Penny out?" I questioned, getting into his personal space and looking him in the eye dangerously. "Seriously? What makes you think you're worthy of my little girl?"  
"Emily!" Penny exclaimed. "Please!" She rushed over and grabbed my arm, trying to drag me off. "Leave him alone!"  
I wouldn't budge, but Tamaki came over to us. "Mama, how could you?" he asked in a pouty voice.  
"Mama?" Lizz and Becca questioned. They were sitting off with the twins, them sitting on the boys laps, much to their embarrassment. Both boys were beat red.  
"Tamaki calls himself Haruhi's father," Kaoru explained.  
"Then he refers to Kyoya as Mother," Hikaru continued.  
"Us her brothers," Kaoru said.  
"And Mori and Honey as the neighbors," Hikaru finished.  
Lizz and Becca looked at each other before turning back to the boys. "Looks like Emily's not the only one with a family complex," they said.  
I raised an eyebrow at Tamaki, and he looked to be trying to stare me down. I just cocked my head and smirked.  
"Hmm, on the other hand, I think this date is perfectly acceptable," I said. I turned to Penny. "Young lady, no later than seven." I glared at Kyoya. "We'll be waiting RIGHT HERE. If you're even a MINUTE late getting Penny though that door, you will face the consequences of Emily Meyers."  
"Of course," Kyoya said, taking Penny's arm. "I'd expect no less from a doting mother." He said it so sarcastically, it took all my energy to not strangle him right there.  
Penny waved sheepishly as they left.  
"Let's get comfortable," Coco said. "We're gonna be here a while."  
I turned to everyone. "Oh no," I said. "There'll be none of that. This place is filthy and is too big a mess for Haruhi to clean by herself. Ladies, let's get to work."  
Immediately, all the girls of the Hostesses and Mickey jumped to their feet and to attention.  
"Sam, you're on dishes duty," I said. "Coco, you'll help by drying."  
"Yes ma'me!" Coco exclaimed, dragging Sam over to the little kitchenette area. I turned to Lizz and Becca.  
"You two; sweeping, moping, dusting, whatever works best," I told them.  
"Moping it is!" they said as one.  
"Mickey, these flowers are looking incredibly wilted," I said, gesturing around the room to the said flowers sitting on each coffee table. "Think you could go clip some fresh ones?" Mickey nodded and walked out of the door. Then I turned to the Host Club members who were all staring at me. "When he comes back, I'll clip any thorn off the roses. But there's still lots of work that needs to be done. Haruhi, show Tamaki how to polish the silver, would you? Just washing it won't get it very far."  
"Do I have to?" Haruhi whined. Tamaki was excitedly jumping up and down. I raised an eyebrow at her.  
"Yes," I said. I shooed them away.  
"What can we do?" Honey asked excitedly, jumping up and down while holding onto Mori's arm.  
"The last time I was here, I happened to have caught a glimpse into the sweets storage room, and it was a mess," I told him. "You and Mori are in charge of making sure that it's organized."  
"Yay!" Honey exclaimed, dragging Mori off. Honey and Coco weren't so different with their taller counterparts.  
I then turned to Hikaru and Kaoru. "You two," I said, pointing to each one in turn. "You two are charged with dusting. Working together, you can reach places the rest of us can't." I clapped my hands. "Let's get to it!"  
"Nope," they said, sitting back on the couch.  
"What do you mean no?" I said, my voice becoming a little threatening.  
"We're not cleaning," Hikaru said.  
"That's stuff for servants," Kaoru explained.  
I huffed and rolled my eyes. "Nice to know you think SOOO highly of Haruhi," I said sarcastically. "And you two are going to get up off your arses-" I walked behind them and dragged them to their feet by their ears "and help the rest of us clean or I'll make you. Capish?"  
"How about this?" Hikaru said.  
"You play a little game with us," Kaoru finished.  
"You win, we clean," they said together. "It's that simple."  
I rolled my eyes and folded my arms. "Fine," I said. "I except your terms. Let's begin, shall we?"  
They placed hats on their heads and began moving about, making it hard to tell who was who.  
"Which one of us is Hikaru?" they exclaimed. I rolled my eyes at them once again. I walked over and flicked Hikaru in the nose.  
"You're Hikaru," I said. I turned to the other. "You're Kaoru."  
"Wrong!" they exclaimed. This time I flicked Kaoru in the nose.  
"No I'm not," I said. "Hikaru's got a small scar on his upper lip. It's barely visible, but it's there. And you're it." I poked Hikaru in the chest before picking up a bucket of dishes to take over to Sam. "Keep that kind of shit up and you'll never get a girlfriend."  
For usually being able to see so much, I didn't see the shared look the twins shared.

Coco: Emily, why are the twins staring at you like that?  
Tamaki: She looks like someone we all used to know. And she acts like it too.  
Lizz + Becca: Oh?  
Emily: All as in Tamaki, Hikaru, and Kaoru. She went to school with them.  
Sam: And you know this HOW exactly?  
Emily: Ummm... Next time! The Little Girl With Red Curls! See you then!  
Sam: Don't avoid the question!


End file.
